Raphael and the Beautiful Banker: The Story of the Bindo Altoviti Portrait

Brown, David; Van Nimmen, Jane

ISBN 10: 0300108249 / ISBN 13: 9780300108248

Published by Yale University Press, 2005

About this Item

4to (27.5 cm), 224 pp. Publisher's cloth and dust jacket. "Five centuries ago a stunningly beautiful young man with flowing blond locks sat for a portrait by Raphael. In the artist's dynamic conception, Bindo Altoviti turns as if to speak to his Florentine bride, Fiammetta. Ardently admired over the years, as it is today, Raphael?s portrait was also coolly received by more than one influential critic who cast a shadow on its reputation. This gloriously illustrated book tells the story of the portrait?s creation and of its unexpected trajectory through history. Focusing on viewers? responses to Bindo Altoviti, the book describes the transformation of the picture from a family treasure into a supposed self-portrait of the artist; its public display in Munich, where first it was celebrated, then dismissed by skeptics claiming that it was neither of nor by Raphael; and its acquisition by canny English dealers who lured the panel out of Nazi Germany. Purchased as a Raphael by American collector Samuel H. Kress, the painting was donated in 1943 to the newly opened National Gallery of Art, where Bindo?s image has beguiled visitors ever since." (from the publisher's description).

Seller Inventory # 004337

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Raphael and the Beautiful Banker: The Story of the Bindo Altoviti Portrait
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300108249
• ISBN 13: 9780300108248
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: New
• Dust Jacket Condition: As New
• Seller catalogs:
  • Art

About this title

Synopsis

Five centuries ago a stunningly beautiful young man, heir to a banking fortune, sat for a portrait by Raphael. In the artist's dynamic conception, Bindo Altoviti turns as if to speak to his Florentine bride, Fiammetta. Ardently admired over the years, as it is today, Raphael's portrait was also coolly received by more than one influential critic who cast a shadow on its reputation. This gloriously illustrated book tells the story of the portrait's creation and of its unexpected trajectory through history. Focusing on viewers' responses to Bindo Altoviti, the book describes the transformation of the picture from a family treasure into a supposed self-portrait of the artist; its public display in Munich, where it was first celebrated, then dismissed by sceptics claiming that it was neither of nor by Raphael; and its acquisition by canny English dealers who lured the panel out of Nazi Germany. Purchased as a Raphael by American collector Samuel H. Kress, the painting was donated in 1943 to the newly opened National Gallery of Art, where Bindo's image has beguiled visitors ever since.

About the Authors

David Alan Brown is curator of Italian paintings at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Jane Van Nimmen is an independent scholar living in Vienna.

David Alan Brown is Curator of Italian Paintings at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.