A Renaissance painting, which was valued at around $26 until recently, has been appraised at a staggering $26 million, thanks to a new discovery that the artwork was actually created by Raphael. Originally attributed to Innocenzo Francucci da Imola, an artist of minor stature during Renaissance, it is now believed to be the work of leading Italian painter Raphael.

While visiting the Haddo House, located near Aberdeen and owned by the National Trust for Scotland, historian Dr. Bendor Grosvenor was tasked with examining a bunch of paintings as part of a new BBC TV series titled Britain’s Lost Masterpieces. During his visit, he came across a dirty, old artwork hung by the door. For some reason, the intricate details in the piece captivated Grosvenor. He said:

I thought, crikey, it looks like a Raphael.  was very dirty under old varnish, which goes yellow. Being an anorak [British slang for “obsessed]”, I go round houses like this with binoculars and torches. If I hadn’t done that, I’d probably have walked past it.

Once cleaned thoroughly, the painting transfigured into a “work of extreme beauty”, portraying a Raphaelesque Madonna. The techniques used to create the face as well as the profile of the model seemed to bear uncanny similarities with the well-known works of Raphael. Before arriving at the conclusion, Grosvenor conducted detailed research to trace the artwork’s origin.

Valued at over $26 million, the painting is thought to be the only work of Raphael to be publicly-owned by Scotland.

Via: The Guardian