Raphael: “Flaget Madonna”
Raffaello Sanzio, commonly known as Raphael, was a prominent European High Renaissance painter in the 16th century. He was renowned for his exceptional devotional paintings depicting the Holy family. During his short life as an artist, the pope, court, and wealthy patrons commissioned religious compositions and smaller works such as portraits.
With regards to his technique, it appears that all of his early paintings were executed using oil or egg tempera. Subsequently, he solely used oil paints as at that period in Italy, the usage of oil paints was increasingly prevalent. Once Raphael had established himself as a painter in Rome and began working on larger frescoes, he employed assistants and pupils who became part of his workshop.
A client has requested Art Recognition to authenticate a painting which was discovered in 1995 in the English countryside. The painting in question portrays Mary cradling infant Jesus whilst Elizabeth and young John the Baptist gaze on with affection. In the background is an oak tree with a goldfinch, a symbol of the Crucifixion in ancient times. In terms of provenance, the client knew it belonged to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, a convent in Kentucky. A friend of the client and one of the early investors in the painting explained that Bishop Joseph Benedict Flaget, one of the founders of the order, was the donor of the painting to the convent. That is where the painting got its name, the “Flaget Madonna”.
Convaincu d'avoir découvert une peinture précieuse, notre client a passé des décennies à faire des recherches et à tenter de prouver si la peinture pouvait avoir été réalisée par Raphaël. Montrer la «Flaget Madonna » à plusieurs historiens de l'art a suscité un débat sur la question de savoir si l'œuvre avait été créée par Raphaël ou non. Sachant qu'il avait un atelier, les experts se demandent également si l'œuvre aurait pu être peinte en totalité ou en partie par l'un de ses assistants.
Art Analysis & Research, the prominent forensic art authentication firm based in London lead by world renewed expert Nicholas Eastaugh, determined the painting’s approximate date and location as well as the presence of orpiment. Historical analysis and forensics eliminated all other known artists of the period, including Ceraiolo, other than Raphael.
Nous avons entraîné l'IA sur un ensemble de données d'images de haute qualité contenant des peintures créées par Raphaël. Notre technologie a capturé le coup de pinceau de l'artiste, ainsi que les variations de couleur et les éléments de composition de haut niveau. L'analyse a révélé que les visages de Marie et de Jésus étaient de Raphaël avec une probabilité de 97 %, alors que le reste de la peinture a été évalué par notre IA comme « non réalisé par Raphaël ». Par conséquent, notre analyse de l'intelligence artificielle fournit de nouveaux éléments qui pourraient encourager les spécialistes à revoir leurs évaluations du tableau.
