A Lost Masterpiece

The Flaget Madonna is a fascinating masterpiece discovered by accident in 1995 in a Cotswold antique shop. Twenty-eight years of painstaking research cast a glaring light on this unique Madonna painting composed in Florence by Raphael, one of the greatest artists who ever lived.

The Renaissance chef d’oeuvre disappeared early on as it was shuffled in a series of European collections. Its saga takes an unexpected turn in the 19th century when the painting is brought to the U.S. by Bishop Joseph Flaget, who displays it in a convent in Kentucky. A miracle worker whose missions were subsidized with large quantities of precious art pieces and objects donated by the Kings and Queens of Europe.

After the Sister Of The Charity Of Nazareth sold the painting to an antique dealer in 1985, it was finally purchased a few years later by a group of art investors, not from Paris or London, but from the south side of Chicago—captivated owners, hell-bent on finding the truth about the mysterious Madonna. A truth revealed on one hand by cutting-edge scientific technologies like pigment testing, infrared reflectography, advanced forensic sciences, and finally, with Artificial Intelligence. And on the other hand, through exact provenance and art history research in dusty libraries. All of it points to the work of one man: Raffaello Sanzio Da Urbino, circa 1505 - 1508. One of the last Madonna paintings that the great genius painted in Florence before his fateful departure to Rome.

To that end, a group of university professors and Renaissance art historians, including a Raphael expert, have attributed the Flaget Madonna to Raphael. In addition, art forensics scientists agree with this attribution. Even though most data points directly to Raphael, some institutions have refused to consider and review the findings. Fortunately for art enthusiasts, the Flaget Madonna was not discarded into the vast ocean of wrongly attributed artworks.

Raphael stands like a beacon of light even among the great masters. His genius and work are simply the best mankind has to offer. Also noteworthy is the massive work and diligence performed to ensure that the last Madonna of Florence shall be lost no more. To expose this truth, another David had to face off against Goliath. This time for the sake of the art.