The Raphael Affair

Jonathan Argyll #1

by Iain Pears

English art scholar Jonathan Argyll was amazed to find himself arrested for vagrancy-while searching for a long-lost Raphael in a tiny Roman church. Although General Bottando of the Italian National Art Theft Squad has little confidence in Jonathan's theories, Bottando's lovely assistant, Flavia di Stefano, is intrigued by the idea of a lost classic, and by Jonathan himself. But in the midst of the painting's discovery and the resultant worldwide publicity, a new chain of events is set into action. First vandalism, then murder, surround the painting. And as new facts about its true nature emerge, Bottando sends Flavia and Jonathan to investigate--little knowing that the pair will be on the run for the truth... and for their very lives.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Art, Italy, Crime, Historical Fiction, Mystery Thriller

226 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Iain Pears is an English art historian, novelist and journalist. He was educated at Warwick School, Warwick, Wadham College and Wolfson College, Oxford. Before writing, he worked as a reporter for the BBC, Channel 4 (UK) and ZDF (Germany) and correspondent for Reuters from 1982 to 1990 in Italy, France, UK and US. In 1987 he became a Getty Fellow in the Arts and Humanities at Yale University. His well-known novel series features Jonathan Argyll, art historian, though international fame first arrived with his best selling book An Instance of the Fingerpost (1998), which was translated into several languages. Pears currently lives with his wife and children in Oxford.

Reviews

[SVETLANA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jonathan Argyll is an English art scholar whose dream is to find a long-lost painting of Raffael.
He travels to Rome but it is too late and the painting is gone. He is arrested by Italian police for being in the church, where was supposed to be the painting, during the night. Later he is meeting General Bottando of the Italian National Art Theft Squad and his assistant Flavia di Stefano. These three are the main characters of the book and the plot is built around them.

The book is interesting from the point of view of art research and art thieves and forgeries. This book reminded me of a trilogy by L.S. Hilton: Maestra, Domina and Ultima that I read a few years ago.

I enjoyed this book too but it was not as exciting as I expected. It deserves a 3.5-star rating, but I decided that 3 stars is more appropriate than 4.

[Jeffrey Keeten · Rating 3 out of 5]

”But she was most struck by the reaction from the audience. They were not admiring the delicacy of the brush strokes, the masterly application of shading or the subtleties of the composition, that was certain. They were ogling. Not a usual reaction for connoisseurs. She herself was caught up in the enthusiasm. The picture, both in its history and subject, was extraordinarily romantic. This most beautiful woman, nearly half a millennium old, had been lost for nearly three hundred years. It could hardly fail to capture the imagination.”

Elisabetta.

She was made famous by being the subject of a painting by the celebrated artist Raphael...or was she? A woman still beautiful even in a modern sense with fine lines and none of the heft of the Madonnas common to that period.


Portrait of a Woman (1507) Raphael.

Jonathan Argyll after doing his usual slap dash, but generally brilliant research was arrested poking around a church. He was looking for evidence that a hidden Raphael existed. Through some deft behind the scenes maneuverings the art in question lands in the hands of a famous; and yet, slightly odorous art dealer Edward Brynes. If Will Brynes were a fictional character instead of a great reviewer on GR Edward would most assuredly be his Uncle.

Argyll is left sitting on a back bench wondering how he brought the painting to everyone’s attention, but somehow has been left out of any compensation. He is an academic and totally unsuited to survive even the dipping of a toe in the turbulent waters of high finance. The Italian government dismayed at all the Italian art that continues to be sold to the United States, to Japan, and to Britain decides that it will pay any price to keep this Raphael from leaving the country.

Italy wins or do they lose?

Argyll after more indepth research realizes that he may have made a mistake. Byrnes, out of some sort of guilt or possibly with the intent to keep an eye on Argyll offers him a much needed scholarship that allows him the means to return to Italy.

Circumstances quickly spin out of control and Argyll finds himself being pushed to do proper research by the lovely Flavia di Stefano, a member of the Italian Art Theft Squad. She, unfortunately, sees the hapless Argyll as more of an amusing friend than as a potential lover.

She might even think he is cute. Which as any man knows once he is labelled as such that it is all over. He has no chance of ever being seen as the masculine, knee trembling, paragon of sexual desire.

Iain Pears includes some rather interesting explanations about how art forgery is accomplished. A brilliant forgery is in many ways more of a work of art than the original. An expert forger really has to be the master of many crafts. If he is the best no one will ever know his name. The speculation of what is real and what is fake of the thousands (millions) of pieces of very important art hanging in famous museums all over the world is interesting to contemplate. Luckily I do not have a professional eye that has to ponder the probabilities. I can enjoy a fake as much as an original. I’ve already ordered book two in the series. I hear the books only continue to get better as Pears settles into the characters he has created. Maybe Flavia will learn to see Jonathan as something more than just cute.

[Lefthandedbibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Art. History. Art History. Art theft. Forged art. Murder
Whats not to like? This book was right up my alley. I loved reading about all the technical details of how the forgery was carried out. Is it actually probable? Who knows, am just an art enthusiast. The narrative might seem a bit jarring to some but I had no issues as this was a short and fast paced book and I was not in a mood for some long drawn writing anyway.
A perfect reading material for a slightly chilly, cloudy, cheerless Sunday. Parts of it did feel inane, like some old school comedy movie Like, our protags, hiding in a toilet to catch hold of the perpetrator, where the M lead fails in his attempt and gets beaten up to top it all. But he ultimately saves the day.. M lead, is no gun toting alpha male in fact he is quite a gamma one, but WTH, I enjoyed reading about all his antics and blunders.

I would recommend this book to all those who like short, fast paced mysteries, unencumbered with elaborate descriptions of police procedures etc.
A word of caution, if you you don't like a lot of name dropping; historical information; artists & painters and their references or regional stereotypes, you might like to give this one a pass.

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tepid is the word which matches most to this book.
Pears should do more with characters and Italian beauties, as his style looks somehow impersonal. The twist in the final makes some redemption, but I think that something misses, leaving you with the impression that just a little extra effort from the author could produce a far better book...

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pears is a plums. He writes with enviable wit and aplomb, too. We've read maybe thirty mysteries aloud, including some Sayers and Grimes, Elizabeth George and Donna Leon. This was one of our favorites. Like Donna Leon, Pears captures the flavor of Italian bureaucracy, its diffusion of authoritarian sexism combined with a lacing of incompetence; but Pears adds the delicious factor of comparative incompetence between Italy and the UK. Bottando is a fine invention, a bit like Leon's Brunetti in that both can negotiate the impenetrable bureaucracy, but at some cost, personal and professional.
Pears' audience must accomodate a large proportion of the academically trained, those who fantasize that their own specialized knowledge, like Jonathan Argyll's, could be worth millions--or cost one's life. Was it not for this that Yale welcomed Pears into its orchard?

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first in Pears' series featuring Art historian Jonathan Argyll and his carabiniera off-sider Flavia di Stefano. These are quick reads, but well plotted and full of interesting artistic information.

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first in a series from Iain Pears. I think I was lucky to pick it up at the last library book sale, rather than dive into one in the middle of the series. The introduction of Jonathan Argyll was fun. He is lovable in the way you'd love your teenage son. He is brilliant in his own way, but makes mistakes, which he is loath to admit, but does, sheepishly. The other two primary characters are also interesting and I'm hoping they are continued.

Pears' prose is above average for the genre and I would enjoy reading at any time. It isn't so beautiful that you would remark upon it, and not so simple that you feel talked down to.

This is a good, solid 3-stars, perhaps higher than middling. I look forward to other installments in the series.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite in the same class as Arturo Perez-Reverte's antiquarian mysteries. It is the first of a series however, and Pears would grow as a writer later on. In the meantime we have a twisting tale of art world intrigue that begins to deal with larger topics of the nature of beauty, authenticity and what constitutes a masterpiece, but falls short of really bringing them to life. Instead, we have a neat little mystery, a dose of action and a love interest to boot. In this case the love interest can be forgiven because it serves as the set-up for the rest of series.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun mystery involving the art market in Europe, specifically England and Italy with some offshoots to France and Switzerland. There is fraud, whispers of fake art, death--unexplained, art museums, fraud squads. What more could one want in a fairly quick but full-of-information art mystery. I think I'll try to get to more in the series.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like art history and a bit of crime and suspense, read this!

[Vionna · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mediocre mystery set in the art world. The main male Italian characters were pompous,egotistical and tiresome. Flavia fairs better, at least she is full of live and uses her intelligence to solve the mystery of the forged painting. I coud not believe that Jonathan Argyll was so naive and downright stupid at times.

[aPriL does feral sometimes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm mystified by how there could be a lot learned about art from this first book in this series, but there is a flavor of what kind of traveling and people and art institutions are involved in the selling of art and in the scrum of public display by museums. Everything is introduced a bit bubbly and brief. The characters are a little silly. There is a murder and a short life-and-death tussle which feels peculiar given the light touch throughout, but it is serious for only a page or two.

English art student Jonathan Argyll is obsessed with art and making a name for himself, but he's kind of a Jimmy Stewart comedy idiot in follow-through. Generale Taddeo Bottando is the chubby chief of the Italian National Art Theft Squad, or 'Bottando's Brothel', so-called because eight of the ten researchers he employs are women. He loves art and he works closely with police, museum security and other countries' art agencies. He is not tough or cynical, and he appears to be most comfortable with routine and white collar criminals and the educated upper class. Flavia di Stefano is one of the 'Brothel' and a favorite, being good at her job.

Argyll is in pursuit of a Raphael rumored to be hidden under the work of another painter who intentionally covered over the more valuable painting by Raphael with his own landscape in order to avoid Italian taxes and fees upon sending the supposedly less valuable painting out of the country. Bottando and Flavia are given the task to find out what Argyll is up to when his quest appears to concern various museums and art dealers in England and Italy in a bad way. Argyll strikes them as slightly squirrelly, but not criminal; however they continue to monitor and question him. Eventually, the department realizes they can't discount Argyll's theories entirely - and the paintings, as it seems two Raphael's may be involved, and one or both could be forgeries. The mystery chase is on! The ending was a twist involving an original Raphael having been painted over by another, less important, painter, which then, sadly, centuries later, the same painted over Raphael painting was painted over again by a painter faking a Raphael, unaware he had destroyed the original Raphael underneath in preparing the ancient canvas for his forgery. Whew!

I'm not really a fan of these characters, but it's a light entertainment of some interest. There is a crisp omniscient point of view that describes characters' actions and feelings with the same arch humor that P. G. Wodehouse used, which makes his books such a delight. However, if this was a movie, I'd say the director used too quick of scene frame cuts in the conversational action. Perhaps the author was being so conservative with words for comic effect and to develop the series' voice, but I needed to reread chapters to make sure I understood what had happened.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting mystery that takes place largely in Rome and concerns a lost Raphael painting that was believed to have been smuggled out of Italy underneath the work of a lesser known artist. Its the first in a series of art mysteries by Pears. I have found Pears writing and stories to be involved and well worth the read (thinking Arcadia and Stone's Fall) so gave this a try. It was a good read but simplistic and the mystery came together quite well but felt a little contrived at times. I felt that Pears wanted to write more about the art and the workings of an art museum in Rome and put together this story to accomplish that. I will go on to read the next in the series just to see how he does and because I love the art aspect and the European atmosphere. So while it was not my favorite Pears it was a good fund read.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea of a series of crime novels set in the art world was appealing and the fact that they were written by Iain Pears, author of the remarkable historical novel, An Instance of the Fingerpost, promised much. Although there’s a satisfyingly knotty plot at the centre of the Raphael Affair much of it only makes sense after the lengthy exposition at the end, and I found the characters largely uninteresting. What did hold my attention, though, were the fascinating nuggets of information about the art business, and particularly the techniques involved in forgery and its discovery. There are six more books in this series; I may be tempted to give the second one, The Titian Committee, a go at some point, on the basis that series usually improve with each new addition.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read and enjoyed this series in the past but was never able to find this first one. I was pleased to stumble upon the ebook for a bargain price. This was a fun art mystery although really slow to get rolling. I may reread the whole series as it’s been quite awhile.

[Maria Altiki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Μέτριο. Θα ενδιέφερε ίσως μόνο τους φαν του Ραφαήλ και γενικότερα αυτούς που ασχολούνται με την ζωγραφική.

[Adam Hoss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that I love the premise, and I'll almost certainly check out later entries in the series. Pears tells the story of art historian and international man of mystery Jonathan Argyll as he investigates a mystery surrounding a possibly-forged Raphael painting destroyed in a mysterious fire. At first I was surprised this was from the same author as An Instance of the Fingerpost, as the writing is quite amateurish. Turns out it was Pears's first novel. His prose has improved markedly over the years. The Raphael Affair is strange in places. The point of view abruptly shifts mid-scene. We're told a scene in third person limited, listening in on the thoughts of art detective Flavia, then out of nowhere we'll be inside Argyll's head. There are odd sentences as well, for instance "Even had it not been it probably wouldn't have got a reply." Huh? The dialogue is sometimes stiff and cringey. "Yes, boss?" "Shut up, dear." "OK. Sorry."In An Instance of the Fingerpost Pears is able to conjure masterful levels of psychological authenticity and character distinction through use of dialogue. Here he's very much in rough draft form.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting art history / art theft / art forgery story! You learn a bit more about the art world and specifically, the art forgery world, which is interesting. I enjoy these types of books and will continue to read this series.

This one is about a 300-year old Raphael painting that is 'discovered' and goes on to break all previous records when it goes on auction. Note: sadly, I could not discover if this was based on a real painting. Obviously, with a painting that is so old, not previously authenticated or known, it is challenging to discover whether it is real or a forgery. Nonetheless, a painting by an old master painter is bound to make people mad with lust over a new discovery of this magnitude and it does exactly that....

Good book and a very quick read! 3.5 stars

[Teri-K · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in a really good mystery series about Italian art. I wish the series was even longer. I expect fans of Rome would love this, it's very descriptive of the setting. But it also works for art lovers in general, or just those who enjoy a unique, puzzling mystery with some interesting personalities. It's not necessary, but I like reading this series in order so I can follow their developing fortunes and relationships.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lucky find when my neighbour let me help myself to her boxes of books she was clearing out. I scored the whole collection & this is the first one, nice & small, fit in the handbag and perfect for a weekend away. A winning trio of Art, Italy and mystery in a tightly written style with interesting characters and a good sprinkling of humour too. Am already starting on the next one.
* I would give this 3.5 stars if I knew how to give half a star!

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story didn’t wow but held my interest for the most part. When it came to the resolution of the “mystery” I had to go back multiple times to understand. The reasoning for who did what and why was not clearly laid out in the book. Bottando reviewed his old case notes to come to his conclusions. This is the first book in the series, we don’t know what is in those notes and he never tells us. I feel like there was a lot of missing information.

[Lawrence · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the books I have a special category for: “My time was stolen.” I absolutely did not know what was going on, let alone the motivations of characters. There was a lot of cute stuff between the “hero” and “heroine.” I expected more from the author of “An Instance of the Fingerpost.” (Can’t say more without spoilers.)

[Ekaterina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was mediocre at best, with its "mystery" so thin it failed to captivate or even amuse. However, I liked the descriptions of the art world - if they had any accuracy. I'm coming to think Iain Pears is just not the writer for me.

[icaro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poco plausibile, superfluo.

[audiolibro]

[Gintautas Ivanickas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kadaise skaičiau gal vieną ar du Pearso detektyvus apie Argyllą. Bet taip seniai, kad nė nebeatsimenu, nei kuriuos, nei apie ką ten. Tai nusprendžiau va, sugrįžt ir kiek nuodugniau prasinešt.
Jonathanas Argyllas, anglų studentas, meno tyrinėtojas turi teoriją dėl seniai pamesto Rafaelio paveikslo. Nors Italijos nacionalinio meno vagysčių skyriaus generolas Bottando nelabai pasitiki jo teorijomis, generolo žavią padėjėją Flavią di Stefano suintriguoja tiek idėja, tiek pats Argyllas. Paveikslas atrandamas, deja, ne taip, kaip tikėjosi Argyllas. Visa šlovė atitenka meno prekeiviui, o jis lieka už borto. Tačiau viskas tik įsibėgėja, kai nutinka dar ir vandalizmo aktas, o paskui ir žmogžudystė. Dabar Argyllui ir Flaviai reikia įrodyti, kad atrastas paveikslas – klastotė. Ir atrodo, kad yra tik vienas būdas – surasti kelis šimtus metų laikytą prapuolusiu tikrąjį Rafaelio šedevrą.
Toks meno detektyvas. Viskas daugiau mažiau sukasi apie klastotes ir jų metodus. Gana lengvas skaitinys ir pradžioje net kažkaip jaučiausi slystantis visiškai teksto paviršiumi tarsi niekas manęs giliau ir neviliojo. Bet į pabaigą ir intriga stiprėja, ir galiausiai finalinis tvistas (nors, prisipažinsiu, labai tikėjausi būtent tokio, kai tai ir gavau – likau labiau patenkintas, nei nusivylęs) gražiai sugroja.
Keturi iš penkių. Gal ne patys tvirčiausi, bet čia tik pirmas serijos romanas, yra šansų, kad toliau bus geriau. Juk yra, ane?

[William Leight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like “The Raphael Affair” ought to have been terrible. Written by an Oxford-educated British art historian, it’s a mystery novel about an Oxford-educated British art historian who solves a major art-historical mystery with the help of a beautiful Italian policewoman. (I was sad to learn that the Art Squad, to which she belongs, is a creation of Pears’s imagination, and not a real department of the Italian national police.) This is such obvious wish-fulfillment material that it’s almost cringey. And yet, against all odds, it’s a pretty entertaining book: Pears obviously knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the art side of things, and he handles the mystery very capably. If the characters are a little flat, well, it’s a mystery: fully fleshed-out, three-dimensional characters are not a requirement of the genre. “The Raphael Affair” is just as much fun as the average mystery, and has the advantage of an unusual setting to boot: I’m not going to rush out to read the rest of the books in the series, but they’re on my list.

[Catherine Letendre · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'hésite en 3 et 4 étoiles. C'était divertissant, mais j'avoue ne pas avoir compris le dénouement... 😬 Et vu qu'il a été trouvé non pas par les 2 enquêteurs, mais par le big boss bureaucrate qui a juste mijoté ça tout seul dans son bureau, je ne sais pas trop si j' avais une chance de trouver ou pas...

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this audiobook because 1] I really need a story; 2] the art history book I finished indexing last week has inspired to read more about Italian Renaissance art ; and 3] Ralph Cosham (of the Louise Penny books) is the narrator and I love his beautiful voice.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well researched and quite interesting in terms of art history, but not a “thriller” or a “who-dun-it?”: this is a rather clunky story of a series of crimes. My problem with it was that none of the central characters seemed at all convincing and there was no way for the reader to predict the direction of the plot, because the knowledge required always remains with the detectors. OK B but no more.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for characters and setting but not 5. This is just a mystery story -not a factual account—and as such not quite worth the effort to follow the machinations involved. Still an ingenious idea