La Madonna de Bogota (Raphael)

[1] It was brought to present day Colombia (Nuevo Reino de Granada) by the Spanish crusader and conquistador Gonzalo Suárez Rendón, who was awarded the painting by Emperor Charles V as a war trophy after the Battle of Pavia.

When the rumor about the painting reached the press, it quickly started a heated debate; some dismissed it, including the El Tiempo daily that argued that it was a copy of a Raphael piece currently at the Museo del Prado.

The event was attended by well-known Colombian experts like Enrique Uribe White, Antonio Bergmann, Domingo Otero and Ines Acevedo Biester.

Joaquin Piñeros Corpas confirmed it in Colombia on an article in El Tiempo: “Confirmado: Madonna De Bogota Por Rafael Sanzio Urbino.” Many US papers acclaimed Martinez Delgado for his discovery.

The painting is currently kept in an unidentified New York City bank vault; it is expected to be turned to the ownership of the San Agustín Church in Bogotá, Colombia, as stipulated in Martinez' last will and testament.