Raphael Drawing for Vatican Stanze Discovered, Heads to Auction

A rediscovered drawing by Raphael, a preparatory study for the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in the Vatican's Sala di Costantino, will be auctioned by Dorotheum in Vienna on October 25, 2023, with an estimate of €400,000–600,000. The red chalk work, depicting a man and his horse, is one of only three known preparatory drawings for the fresco, commissioned by Pope Julius II. The other two are held by the Louvre and the Ashmolean Museum. The verso features later sketches by Raphael's pupil Polidoro da Caravaggio, reflecting Renaissance workshop reuse of paper. Raphael died before completing the fresco, which was finished by Giulio Romano. The drawing had previously been misattributed to Peter Paul Rubens and later cataloged as 16th-century Italian School at a 2015 Christie's auction. Recent scholarship confirmed Raphael's authorship. Dorotheum specialist Mark MacDonnell praised its energy and rarity. Measuring 22×24 cm, the work is expected to attract strong bidding.