by Rubens was in his studio at the time of his death in 1640, and the bistre sketch of the portrait executed by Rembrandt is preserved in the Albertina. On April 9,1639, Raphael's portrait was put up to auction by its owner, and Joachim von Sandrart, the German painter and writer, bid up to 3,400 florins, but was outdone by Don Alfonso de Lopez, a Spanish councillor, who bought the picture for 3,500 florins. 1 VVhen Lopez fell into disgrace at court a few years later, and lost his property, the precious portrait was bought by Cardinal Mazarin, and sold on his death to Louis XIV. for 3,000 livres. In the sixteenth century it was engraved by Persinius, and in the seventeenth by Edelinck and several others; and a fine reproduction of the picture forms the frontispiece of the English edition of the "Cortegiano' printed by Bowyer in 1727. During the last year of Raphael's life, in the autumn of 1519, Castiglione once more sat to him for his portrait. When the Duke of Ferrara's ambassador called at Raphael's house and asked to see him on urgent business, he was told that the master could not receive him, as he was engaged in painting Count Baldassare's portrait. 2 It is doubtful whether Raphael lived to finish this work, and certainly no trace of the original remains in existence to-day. Beffa-Negrini, however, mentions a second portrait by Raphael as being in the possession of the Count's family, and in the eighteenth century a portrait of Castiglione bearing the great master's name passed from his descendants into the hands of Cardinal Valenti. This is evi- dently the picture in the Corsini Gallery (see page 414 ), which agrees exactly with the chronicler's description, and was prob- ably executed from a sketch or painting by Raphael. The Count is represented without a cap, and with his head turned to the left, while his armorial bearings and his name and deeds are inscribed in Latin on the panel. Another copy is preserved among the portraits of illustrious citizens in the library of Mantua; and yet a third, which in 1820 belonged to the distinguished Mantuan scholar, Pasquale Coddé, is said by M. Gruyer to be now at Berlin. ____________________ | 1 | Sandrart, "'Accademia Tedesca dell' Architettura, Scultura e Pittura,'" Nürnberg, 1675. | | 2 | Vol. II., p. 58. | -450- |