'Raphael prototype of Sistine Madonna' will go under the hammer in first online auction

It is one of the most highly-discussed and tested Renaissance pictures - and now it will go under the hammer for at least £1,000,000.

The De Brécy Tondo painting of the Madonna and Child, which is considered to be one of Raphael's masterpieces and believed to be a prototype for the Sistine Madonna, will be sold in the first online auction of its kind, The Daily Mail reports.

It has been the subject of 30 years of scrutiny and research by experts keen to discover the artist behind the intricate work and whether it was the model for the Sistine Madonna.

It began to attract attention after an art collector snapped it up in a house sale where it had hung over a fireplace.
Mrs Violet Fairbairn Wynne-Eyton of Leeswood Hall, Mold, North Wales, hung the Tondo above the open fireplace in her bedroom.

The painting was known to have existed in the Wynne-Eyton family art collection for generations.
After her death in 1981, collector George Lester Winward bought the masterpiece at auction in the December of that year, the official De Brecy Tondo website said.

The history behind it is rich and involves royalty and debt. An infra-red examination of the painting's reverse flap of canvas revealed a monogram similar to the personal monogram of Queen Henrietta Maria.

Sir Richard Wynn was Treasurer and Receiver General to Henrietta Maria from 1629 to 1649 and responsible for settling her art collection accounts, many of which were given to her by the Vatican to bolster her Catholic faith.
It is understood that the queen owed money to Sir Richard after he made her a substantial loan and the Tondo was given to pay off the outstanding debt - or it was presented to him as a gift to him from the Vatican for his services.

It is believed that it was passed down until it reached his distant relative, Mrs Wynne-Eaton.
Since then it has undergone countless tests to try and substantiate the theory that it was painted by Raphael.
Professor Howell Edwards from the University of Bradford, who carried out an extensive examination on the materials used in the painting.

He said: 'In September 2004 I undertook Raman spectroscopic analysis of paint samples from the de Brécy Trust's tondo painting of the Madonna and Child.

'The analysis found clear evidence of the use of the yellow (lead monoxide, PbO ) pigment massicot. This pigment is considered to be in pre-17th century usage by artists.

'The presence of lead white was also registered in the analysis.
'The analysis also indicated that the medium was not an oil or resin nor made from gum, animal glue or egg white. It is therefore most likely to be of a vegetable-derived, starch based glue (considered to be typical of Renaissance practice).
'From these analytical findings, I am entirely confident that the Tondo painting is consistent with an early, pre-1700, Renaissance work.'

Further tests show that the drawing has been made with similar techniques to Raphael.
The website said: 'X-ray analysis shows pounce-marks exclusively across the knuckles and around the fingers of the Madonna's right hand and around the upper bicep of the Child.

'This indicates use of an auxiliary cartoon – a technique peculiar to Raphael.'
The pentimenti - underdrawing - and details of both the de Brécy and the Sistine Madonna are practically identical, adding weight to the the theory that it was a blueprint for the latter picture.

Potential buyers have until June 21 at 5pm to put in their bid - with offers opening at £1,000,000.