that time, strongly influenced by Perugino. Careful observation revealed that the painting was dated 1507. One can fairly reasonably assume, however, based upon Raphael's style, that the work was started in 1505 and finished in 1507. The chapel that housed the "Ansidei Madonna" was dismantled in 1763 when the church of San Fiorenzo was remodeled. The chapel was reassembled and now contains a 19th-century copy of its original altarpiece, the "Ansidei Madonna", by Raphael. The work was bought by young Lord Robert Spenser in 1764, for an undisclosed, but apparently large sum of money as a gift to his brother, the 4th Duke of Marlborough. Placed in Blenheim Palace, one of the most magnificent buildings in Europe and home of the Duke of Marlborough, the work was sometimes known as the "Blenheim Madonna." "Ansidei Madonna", considered "one of the most perfect pictures of the world", of the Blenheim Collection was sold by George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough, under the Lord Cairn's Act for £75,000 or nearly unanimously cited at £70,000, which was about $350,000, to the London National Gallery in 1885. At the time, this was three times the highest amount paid for a painting, likely in large part because there were few Raphael paintings placed in foreign galleries at that time. See also List of paintings by Raphael References External links Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Raphael Collections of the National Gallery, London 1507 paintings Paintings depicting John the Baptist Paintings of Saint Nicholas