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£29m Raphael drawing in export bar

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26 February 2010

Culture Minister, Margaret Hodge, has placed a temporary export bar on an exquisite drawing by the Italian Renaissance master Raphael.  This will provide a last chance to raise the money to keep the drawing, Head of a Muse, in the United Kingdom. 

The Minister’s ruling follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). The Committee recommended that the export decision be deferred on the grounds that the drawing is of outstanding aesthetic importance and of outstanding significance for the study of Raphael’s work. The Committee awarded a starred rating to the drawing meaning that every possible effort should be made to raise enough money to keep it in the country.

Head of a Muse was part of the first major commission Raphael received from Pope Julius II in 1510-11. This was to create four frescoes for the walls of the Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican. The third of these, Parnassus, was intended as a celebration of poetry. It shows Apollo, surrounded by the Muses, holding court with renowned poets including Homer, Virgil and Dante. Head of a Muse is an auxiliary cartoon for the turbaned head of the third muse to Apollo’s right, who was probably Terpsichore, the muse of dance and theatrical performances.

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For Raphael, the commission was a chance to prove his ability in competition with Michelangelo, who was working on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel a few rooms away. Its importance is reflected in the large number of preparatory drawings he made: some 60 sheets are connected with the project. Head of a Muse is the only surviving auxiliary cartoon relating to the commission that is indisputably by Raphael. It was made by pressing powdered black chalk thorough the pricked holes of the original cartoon to create an auxiliary version, which the artist could then experiment with in order to formulate his ideas clearly. It shows Raphael’s mastery of the relatively new technique of drawing in black chalk. Retouching in the finished fresco has obscured Raphael’s brushwork so this drawing is the only surviving record of the muse’s original appearance.

Professor David Ekserdjian, Reviewing Committee member, said: “Raphael was a supreme draughtsman, and Head of a Muse is a star drawing. It encapsulates an ideal of feminine beauty which characterised his art and influenced later artists throughout Europe. The UK is rich in Raphael drawings, but this is the only auxiliary cartoon related to the Stanza della Signatura commission. It is important for the study of Raphael’s work as a unique record of his original artistic vision.”

The decision on the export licence application for the drawing will be deferred for a period ending on 25 May inclusive. This period may be extended until 25 November inclusive if a serious intention to raise funds with a view to making an offer to purchase the drawing at the recommended price of £29,161,250 (excluding VAT) is expressed.

Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price through the private treaty sale arrangements, where appropriate, may also be considered by Margaret Hodge.  Such purchases frequently offer substantial financial benefit to both parties by the sharing of tax advantages.

Anyone interested in making an offer to purchase the drawing should contact the owner’s agent through:
 
The Secretary
The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Wellcome Wolfson Building
165 Queen’s Gate
South Kensington
London SW7 5HD
Telephone 020 7273 8270

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Notes to Editors

  1. For all media enquiries please contact Senior Media Relations Adviser, Sunita Sharma, on 020 7273 8299, email: sunita.sharma@mla.gov.uk.

  2. For enquiries on the operation of and casework arising from the work of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) please contact Frances Wilson, RCEWA Secretary, on 020 7273 8270, email frances.wilson@mla.gov.uk.

  3. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by MLA, which advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria. Where the Committee finds that an object meets one or more of the criteria, it will normally recommend that the decision on the export licence application should be deferred for a specified period. An offer may then be made from within the United Kingdom at or above the fair market price.

  4. The details of the drawing are: 

    Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael (Urbino 1483-1520 Rome)
    Head of a Muse
    Black chalk over pounce marks, traces of stylus, watermark encircled Saint Anthony’s cross
    c. 1510
    30.5 x 22.2 cm

  5. Further details about the drawing can be found in the auction catalogue at the Christies website.

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