The London & Italy Expedition · 15 November — 15 December 2026

Technical examination of a privately held painting, followed by research into works, records and comparative material in London collections and archives.

The planned technical examination includes condition assessment, X-ray and infrared investigation.

Research may also include institutions such as the National Gallery and British Library, subject to access and research requirements.

Original works, manuscripts and collections provide an opportunity to examine Leonardo’s Milanese world alongside Titian, Raphael and other Renaissance masters.

Research priorities include Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, the Sforza Castle, the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and material associated with the Codex Atlanticus.

The Studiolo, the Grotta and Gonzaga archives bring together art, collecting, correspondence and the movement of objects through one of Renaissance Italy’s most remarkable courts.

Research will include the Palazzo Ducale, works associated with Mantegna and Giulio Romano, and archival material relating to Isabella d’Este, her collections and correspondence.

A focused investigation into works and connections surrounding Raphael, Titian, the Bentivoglio family and the artistic and religious culture of Renaissance Bologna.

Among the research priorities is Raphael’s Ecstasy of Saint Cecilia and its relationship to other representations and traditions surrounding the saint.

Isabella d’Este, Lucrezia Borgia, Titian and the extraordinary visual culture of Ferrara provide another part of the network we are following.

Research may include the Castello Estense, Palazzo Schifanoia, the former Camerini d’Alabastro and other material connected to Ferrara’s Renaissance court and visual culture.

Titian, Giorgione and Giovanni Bellini lead into a wider investigation of workshops, devotional imagery, symbolism, trade and Venice’s changing relationship with the wider world.

Research will include major works and locations associated with Renaissance Venice, including the Accademia, Frari and other relevant collections and historic sites.

Paintings, sculpture, manuscripts and extraordinary objects connect Leonardo, Botticelli, Donatello and the Medici world with another strand of our research: Europe’s emerging understanding of the Americas.

Research priorities include major Florentine collections, manuscripts and archives, together with objects and material associated with Medici collecting and the intellectual world of Renaissance Florence.

A focused examination of Titian’s double-sided processional banner depicting The Last Supper and The Resurrection of Christ.

The investigation will consider its construction, restoration, iconography and architectural setting, with the aim of engaging relevant conservators and scholars around questions arising from our research.

The final planned stage brings together Raphael, the Borgias, ancient Rome, classical prophecy, the Sibyls and early European imagery connected with the Americas — several strands of the research converging in one city.

Research may include the Vatican Museums, Borgia Apartments, Raphael Rooms, Sistine Chapel and relevant sites and collections connected with ancient and Renaissance Rome.

Rome is the final planned location of this particular expedition — not the end of the wider investigation.