Art ScannerGet the app
Public sale records, not an appraisal

The most expensive Raphael ever sold

The most expensive Raphael ever sold is Head of an Apostle, black chalk study for the Transfiguration: $47.9 million at Sotheby's London in 2012. Famous works such as The School of Athens, Sistine Madonna and Transfiguration are in public collections, so they are not for sale and have no price.

Lived
1483–1520
From
Italian
Movement
High Renaissance
Worked in
Florence · Rome
Portrait of Raphael
Raphael's record$47.9MHead of an Apostle, black chalk study for the Transfiguration · 2012

Raphael's famous works and their prices

  • The School of Athens by RaphaelThe School of Athens1511 · Apostolic Palace, Vatican Museums, Vatican CityNot for sale
  • Sistine Madonna by RaphaelSistine Madonna1512 · Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, DresdenNot for sale
  • Transfiguration by RaphaelTransfiguration1520 · Pinacoteca Vaticana, Vatican CityNot for sale
  • Madonna of the Meadow by RaphaelMadonna of the Meadow1506 · Kunsthistorisches Museum, ViennaNot for sale
  • La Fornarina by RaphaelLa Fornarina1519 · Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, RomeNot for sale
  • Saint George and the Dragon by RaphaelSaint George and the Dragon1506 · National Gallery of Art, WashingtonNot for sale

“Not for sale” means a public collection holds the work. Prices are nominal US dollars as reported at the time.

Raphael next to other artists

Each artist's highest documented sale, from the same research.

  1. Renoir$78.1MBal du moulin de la Galette · 1990
  2. Rubens$76.7MMassacre of the Innocents · 2002
  3. Manet$65.1MLe Printemps · 2014
  4. Caillebotte$53MJeune homme à sa fenêtre · 2021
  5. Raphael$47.9MHead of an Apostle, black chalk study for the Transfiguration · 2012
  6. Turner$47.4MRome, from Mount Aventine · 2014
  7. Rousseau$43.5MLes Flamants · 2023
  8. Degas$41.6MPetite danseuse de quatorze ans · 2022
  9. Constable$35.2MThe Lock · 2012

Bars are to scale within this list. Source for Raphael's record: spearswms.com.

About Raphael

Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance, admired for the clarity, harmony and grace of his compositions. Alongside Leonardo and Michelangelo he formed the traditional trinity of great Renaissance masters. His Vatican frescoes, such as "The School of Athens", epitomise Renaissance ideals of balance and humanism. He died young, at 37, in 1520, at the height of his fame.

Scan a Raphael

Point Art Scanner at a painting and it names the work and the artist, and shows its sale record or the artist's, with the museum that holds it.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
Art Scanner result for the Mona Lisa with its $100M insured value tag
The Mona Lisa in Art Scanner: insured value $100M

Questions

What is the most expensive Raphael ever sold?

Head of an Apostle, black chalk study for the Transfiguration, which sold for $47.9 million at Sotheby's London in 2012. Prices are nominal US dollars as reported at the time.

How much is a Raphael painting worth?

It depends on the work. The highest documented sale is $47.9 million for Head of an Apostle, black chalk study for the Transfiguration. Works in public collections are not for sale.

Where can I see Raphael's paintings?

Among the works here: the Apostolic Palace, Vatican Museums, Vatican City, the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, the Pinacoteca Vaticana, Vatican City, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna and the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome.

Who was Raphael?

Raphael (1483–1520). Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance, admired for the clarity, harmony and grace of his compositions. Alongside Leonardo and Michelangelo he formed the traditional trinity of great Renaissance masters. His Vatican frescoes, such as "The School of Athens", epitomise Renaissance ideals of balance and humanism. He died young, at 37, in 1520, at the height of his fame.

Other artists