Controversial attribution of a Raphael painting to a private collection

A painting of Mary Magdalene, owned by a private collector abroad, was presented as a newly discovered work by Raphael during a conference on September 16, 2023, in Pergola, Italy. A team of Italian and French scholars, including Jean-Charles Pomerol, professor emeritus at the Sorbonne, analyzed the work using laboratory tests that revealed the use of the spolvero technique and pentimenti. Their findings, to be published in the journal Open Science – Arte and Science, claim the oil-on-poplar panel from the early 16th century is the original version of the subject, serving as a model for other versions attributed to Perugino and his workshop. The painting depicts Mary Magdalene with the features of Chiara Fancelli, Perugino's wife. However, art critic Vittorio Sgarbi dismissed the attribution as impossible, arguing the work is a replica by Perugino and that the private ownership and limited access undermine credibility. Scholar Luigi Agus called it a mediocre painting that was previously offered for sale online for €29,000 as a work from Leonardo's school. Many Raphael experts have labeled the claim a hoax, discrediting the scholars involved in the Pergola conference.