Raphael and the Beautiful Banker: The Story of the Bindo Altoviti Portrait PDF
Preview Raphael and the Beautiful Banker: The Story of the Bindo Altoviti Portrait
DAVID ALAN BROWN & JANE VAN NIMMEN Raphael r the Beautiful Banker THE STORY OF THE BINDO ALTOVITI PORTRAIT ·/■ ?·/vi' ' ■· Raphael vL·/ tthhee BBeeaauuttiiffuull BBaannkkeerr I ' * 5 " . * THE STORY OF THE BINDO ALTOVITI PORTRAIT David Alan Brovm Jane Van Nimmen Five centuries ago a stunningly beautiful young man, heir to a banking fortune, sat for a portrait by Raphael. In the artists 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 v ever since. Raphael ,, the Beautiful Banker Raphael yty the Beautiful Banker THE STORY OF THE BINDO ALTOVITI PORTRAIT David Alan Brovm Jane Van Nimmen Yale University Press New Haven London PUBLISHED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE GETTY FOUNDATION Copyright © 2005 by David Alan Brown and Jane Van Nimmen Excerpt from A Soldier of the Great War, copyright © 1991 by Mark Helprin, reprinted by permission of Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. Designed by Gillian Malpass Printed in Singapore Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Brown, David Alan, 1942- Raphael and the beautiful banker : the story of the Bindo Altoviti portrait / David Alan Brown and Jane Van Nimmen. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-300-10824-9 (cl : alk. paper) 1. Raphael, 1483-1520. Bindo Altoviti. 2. Altoviti, Bindo, 1491-1556 - Portraits. 3. Raphael, 1483-1520 - Criticism and interpretation. 1. Van Nimmen, Jane, 1937- 11. Raphael, 1483-1520. 111. Title. ND623.R2A625 2005 759-5 — dc22 2004023961 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Frontispiece Raphael, Bindo Altoviti, c. 1512. Oil on panel, 59.5 X 43.8 cm. Washington, National Gallery of Art, Samuel H. Kress Collection. To Armand Van Nimmen, friend, husband, picture editor
The list of books you might like
