Raphael's Head of a Muse

£29m Raphael eclipses Rembrandt at Christie's

But the latter's Portrait of a Man still sold for over £20m, a record price for the Old Master

A world record price was paid for a 1658 portrait by Rembrandt at Christie's, yesterday.

All eyes were on the Old Master's 1658 painting Portrait of a Man, considered by many to be priceless, which sold for a princely £20.2m to an anonymous bidder.

However, the star attraction was eclipsed by Raphael's 1510-11 work Head of a Muse.

Raphael's Head of a Muse (£29.2m)

It sold for £29.2m - incredibly, a world record price for any work on paper to go under the hammer, according Christie's.

The painting easily surpassed its estimate of £12-16m.

The sale was the second highest price for an Old Master painting sold at auction, and a world record for a Raphael.

Overall, the sale grossed £68.4m.

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Image: Christie's