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‘Somebody Got An Incredible Bargain’: Spanierman’s Raphael — $37.2 Million

By Regina Kolbe



"Portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino” by Raphael, purchased by Ira Spanierman in 1968 for $325, was sold at Christie's London, last week for $37,277,500.New York City:When New York City art dealer Ira Spanierman bought an Old Masters painting for $325 at a Sotheby Park-Bernet auction in 1968, he knew he had acquired something of quality — but was not sure of exactly what. The oil on canvas was so dirty that only a bit of white fur on the sitter's collar was visible. That and a beautifully rendered right hand convinced him to purchase the lot. Nearly 40 years later, Spanierman's "acquisition," now identified as "Portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino" by Raphael, established not one, but two record prices paid at auction last week as it sold for $37,277,500.

The painting, sold at Christie's London on July 6, established a record paid for the artist at auction and also an auction record for an Italian Old Master.

For Spanierman, the sale is the culmination of a journey into connoisseurship and authentication that spanned the past four decades and involved some of the world's most renown experts.

Interviewed just hours before the Raphael was set to cross the auction block, the dealer recounted the story of the discovery.

It occurred at a routine morning sale; "Nothing remarkable, or it would have been held at night," he said. "The painting had been skied [hung salon-style near the ceiling], but I used to climb up the ladder like a monkey with my magnifying glass and look at things way up high because I couldn't see them properly from the ground." The less-than-notable frame gave no clues as to what it housed, but the few details that Spanierman could make out on the canvas were enough to convince him the work was worth the estimate.

In the days and months that followed, the painting began to reveal itself. The first light cleaning showed it to be a well-known portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici, dressed, uncharacteristically, in the French manner. A 1956 label on the back from the Walker Gallery in Liverpool offered a clue to the painter's identity. "Attributed to Raphael," it read.

It would take three years for the dealer to come to a conclusion; Spanierman was finally convinced that the painting was indeed the missing Raphael that had been intimately associated with the political history of the Renaissance.

Commissioned in 1518 by Raphael's greatest patron, Pope Leo X, the painting had served as the Duke of Urbino's introduction to Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, daughter of Jean de Bourbon and niece of Francois de Bourbon, on the occasion of their betrothal, an alliance that united the ruling families of Italy and France.



Ira Spanierman with an Abraham Bogdanove painting from Spanierman Gallery's current exhibition, "The Lure of Maine,” on view through July 16. —Antiques and The Arts Weekly photograph, Regina KolbeLess than a year after the marriage, Catherine gave birth to Catherine de' Medici and died shortly thereafter. A few days later, Lorenzo died from a disorder that was probably the result of his licentious follies during the trip to France. Raffaello d'Sanzio, commonly known as Raphael, died the following year, in 1520.

Remarkably, the portrait had been so well documented that even the date of its creation was known. The artist had begun to paint it on January 20, 1518. On February 10, 1518, Goro Gheri, Lorenzo's secretary, reported that it was "finito del tutto." Later in the century, Giorgio Vasari wrote not only of the portrait but also of its many copies.

The Medici archives document the painting's inclusion in its collection through the inventory of 1560. And then there is a gap. "Portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici" does not make another appearance until the Nineteenth Century, when it is included in the collection of Sir John Northwick at Thirlestaine House, Cheltenham. Between the time it resided at Thirlestaine and when it resurfaced later in the century in the Colworth collection of Hollingworth Magniac, the sitter had been misidentified as François I, and the work misattributed to Bronzino.

In 1892, the painting was included in a sale conduced by Christie, Manson and Woods featuring the Colworth collection. In the accompanying catalog, J.C. Robinson, the era's most perceptive scholar of Italian Renaissance painting, reidentified the painting as that of Lorenzo de' Medici and reattributed the painting to Raphael. This opinion was supported by Sir Charles Eastlake.

Years passed before the painting went on view again. In 1908, it was shown at the Royal Academy in London.

Of course, by the time Spanierman won his canvas, no one remembered.

Faced with inconclusive evidence regarding attribution, and with known copies hanging in several museums, Spanierman took the next logical step. "I called in the experts," he said. Everett Fahy of the Metropolitan Museum, John Pope-Hennessy, noted Raphael scholar, and Konrad Oberhuber of the Albertina were all "very pro the painting."

Infrared analysis revealed that the artist made numerous revisions, as would be typical of a creative process that was pressured and rushed. Since no studies for the work exist, the occurrence of pentimento further appeared to fit. Also, the original was known to have been painted on canvas. Spanierman's "Lorenzo" was a work on canvas.

In 1971, Oberhuber conclusively reestablished the position of the painting in Raphael's oeuvre in an article in The Burlington Magazine.

With the "case solved," the owner then made a masterful choice. He decided to keep Raphael's "Portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici" off the market. When asked why, he jokingly replied, "I wanted to be the only guy on the block with a Raphael."

Over the years, Spanierman has politely entertained lavish offers from museum directors and collectors. A representative of the Louvre went as far as to declare it a "French national treasure."

"After holding the painting for 39 years," the ever-dapper dealer mused, "the end of my story has to somehow be the sale of the Raphael." Asked if the end of the story is the beginning of his retirement, Spanierman said it is unlikely.

Moments after "Portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici" sold, handily exceeding its $30 million high estimate, Spanierman proclaimed, perhaps slightly tongue in cheek, "Somebody got an incredible bargain."

Spokane Station Clock

Accurate timekeeping has always been a critical part of railroad operations, and the station clock was (and still is) the public symbol of this fact. It was salvaged from the Spokane, Washington Union Station when it was razed in the early 70's and is currently on display in a museum. Spokane was perhaps *the* railroad hub of the entire Pacific Northwest.

Toast

The Sweetheart Toaster operates by the two buttons on its base - one button for each side. Pressing one of the buttons swings the bread basket out perpendicular to the toaster allowing one to insert or remove bread. Release the button and the basket swings back against the toaster. Each subsequent pushing of a button makes the basket rotate in the opposite direction, so that both sides of the bread can be toasted.

This toaster was made and sold in the late 1920s

Union Pacific Blue Cast Globe

Different lantern globe colors signify different functions. A lantern with a true blue (sometimes called "cobalt blue") globe signifies "Rule 26". According to this rule, a "blue signal, displayed at one or both ends of an engine, car, or train, indicates that workmen are under or about it; when thus protected it must not be coupled to or moved." Shown below is a rare blue cast globe made for a tall-globe lantern and marked for the Union Pacific Railroad.

Circus Banner

Polychrome is one of the terms used to describe the use of multiple colors in one entity. Most often, the term is used in conjunction with certain styles of architecture during the Victorian era.


Polychrome Painted Canvas "LONDON PUNCH & JUDY" Circus Banner, America, early to mid 20th century, "Millard & Bulsterbaum 2894 W 8th St. Coney Island, N.Y." stenciled l.r., 7 ft. 8 in. x 8 ft.

Advertising sign

Nothing like being able to buy a set of table and chairs and bury your dead aunt all at the same time.

Checkers

Verre églomisé, from the French term meaning glass gilded, is a process where the backside of the glass is gilded with gold or metal leaf using a gelatin adhesive. The result is a mirror-like, reflective finish in which designs are then engraved. The technique dates back to the pre-Roman eras, but its name is derived from 18th century French decorator and art-dealer Jean-Baptise Glomy (1711-1786) who is responsible for its repopularization.


Eglomise Checkerboard, America, late 19th century, 23 x 23 in.

Mechanical Bank

KYSER AND REX BOY STEALING WATERMELON BANK. When lever is pressed, dog appears from the doghouse. Boy is slinking through the garden in an attempt to steal the watermelon and raises his right hand. While along the fence, a boy runs off with another watermelon in hand. Probably in the 1880s, it was considered a very comical bank. SIZE: 5" h x 6-1/2"

Patriotic Sheet Music

Music by: E.T. Paull
Lyrics by: H.A. Freeman
Cover artist: A. Hoen Litho.


Patriotic songs continued to flourish throughout the 19th century, the American Civil War perhaps being one of the more prolific periods where both the South and the North generated numerous songs to stir patriotic feelings. After that war, most of the Patriotic music focused on rebuilding America and consolidating a united front. Other wars of course came and went during that century but perhaps the first real test of American resolve after the Civil War came with the Spanish American War of 1895 - 1902.. This march with lyrics is one of the grandest expressions of unity that I've seen. As with most Paull works, it is expansive seems to go on forever.

ET Paull (link to in-depth biography) was one of America's patriotic march and musical greats, his marches were full of spirit and patriotism that have been matched by few others. This work, featured before in our feature of E. T. Paull works is one of Paull's greatest and more unusual works in that Paull has included lyrics. In general, almost all of Paull's works are piano solo and only two or three contain lyrics. In this one Paull also included a bonus at the end; an arrangement of America that makes this entire work just ooze with patriotism. If you are an American, you have to love this work! Make no mistake though, this is not a song in the normal sense, it is still very much a march and even though it has a nice chorus that is very reflective of songs of the day, it also very unusually then transitions into a trio, then repeats, then transitions to the version of America. The sheet music cover shows the work available as a Piano solo, four hand or Song version. It would play just as well as a piano solo march. Musically, this is one of Paul's best.