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[Mazhar]

A painting by Renaissance artist Raphael has sold for more than £18m ($37.3m) at an auction in London.

The portrait, of Florentine ruler Lorenzo de' Medici, had not been seen in public since 1968.

When it was last sold, the art world was divided over its origins and it sold for just $325.

But experts now agree it is genuine - Christie's auctioneers describing it as the most important Renaissance portrait to be sold at auction for a generation.

'Blind date'

The portrait was commissioned by Pope Leo X after he arranged a marriage between his nephew, Lorenzo de' Medici, and Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, a cousin of Francois I, King of France.

The couple had never met, and so Raphael's paintings were to serve as an introduction - in a Renaissance version of the blind date.

In his portrait, Lorenzo is seen dressed in a gold tunic and fur-lined cape, resplendent against a rich green background.

The Pope's introduction seems to have worked - the couple married in 1518 and had a daughter, Catherine de' Medici, who went on to marry King Henry II of France.

Record broken

Raphael started out as a competent master of provincial church decoration and became one of the greatest painters of his era.

The sale has broken the record for a price paid for a work by Raphael.

The previous highest price was £5.3m in 1996 for Study for the Head and Hand of an Apostle, a drawing in black crayon.

Richard Knight, international director of Christie's Old Master Department, said: "The importance of the artist and the sitter, together with the provenance and the historical context behind this painting's creation, make it one of the most significant old master pictures to be offered at auction for a generation."

[Muhammad Mahdi]

wow!

[Fatimah Zahra Karim]

Interesting background...But is any painting really worth that much? After all, it is just a painting...

[ramzan]

millions of ppl around the world spend so much time n money watching soccer, so is it worth it?
maybe! i guess when people see them playing the game thy most like it makes them happy, maybe it even inspires them, n mayb it teches them new moves.
in the same way some ppl like soccer, others like paintings, works of art. maybe they see something in it may be thy r inspired by it.

[Fatimah Zahra Karim]

I guess it depends on the amount of money you spend. Football is a sport that keeps you active and healthy. I see no harm in watching it and learning from it. What I object to is paying thousands of dollars for something like Beckham's hair, or the shirt that Ronaldo wore during a world cup final that Brazil won. What is the point?

I agree that much can be leart from art. It may relax, or inspire. And I agree that inspiration is priceless. But the painting is still the same painting it was when its artist was unknown. Why should its value increase by more than 100,000 times when its painter is known? So it could have been a fake earlier...but the thing still looked the same, didn't it?

The (faithful) slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk upon the earth modestly...and those who, when they spend, are neither prodigal nor grudging; and there is ever a firm station between the two;
25:63-67

Isn't paying 37.3 million dollars for a painting an extravagance? Aren't there better things that could have been done with that money? Just for comparison...the average Tanzanian makes $700 a year. If you consider that all the people we know or are related to earn multiples of this in a month-some earn more than this a day-can you imagine how many people are suffering because of poverty? Would the money not be better utilised if put into medical research or technical improvement of underdeveloped countries?

[ramzan]

when ramz says something good, everbody will forget in a day. but wat socrates n frends said a 100 yrs ago, wow everybody remembers. the worth of a thing ppl come to realize after ages.
maybe paying big bucks for a t-shirt isnt a good idea. hey but was becks move to la worth $250 mill. the truth is nothing is in our hands. how much we debate isnt going to make a differnce.

[Fatimah Zahra Karim]

when ramz says something good, everbody will forget in a day. but wat socrates n frends said a 100 yrs ago, wow everybody remembers. the worth of a thing ppl come to realize after ages.

I don't think so...Socrates was valued as a wise man even during his life. So was the Holy Prophet (saw). Sure, both had enemies who were jealous of them and accused them of things they never did...but on the whole they were accepted as wise and their sayings recorded by their students/companions.

It may seem like our debate will not make a difference...but it could change the way some people think. Ever heard "Little drops of water/ little grains of sand/ make the mighty ocean/ and the pleasant land"? You start out by affecting one person, who would in turn affect others.

As for Becks' move to LA being worth $250 million(that's the max in 5 years, not the actual figure) I guess it is. Consider it an investment. The club pays that much. In return they sell more tickets, get more publicity, expand soccer in the US...it pays back. As to what Becks will do with that money...that's his business, but I heard him say he and Victoria are planning to start a charity in the US. So yes, it is worth it.

[ramzan]

all what i can conlude is whatever that is material pays, and which is not doesn,t. thats is y theories cannot be bought. whoever has the money can buy whatever he wishes.

[Fatimah Zahra Karim]

whoever has the money can buy whatever he wishes.

If it on sale, right? Ever heard the whole

money can buy a bed, but not sleep
money can buy a house, but not a home
money can buy medicine, but not health...

Money can buy material things, objects, not values and feelings. While material things may be essential to some extent, they do not produce happiness and satisfaction infinitely.

Let's not drag this discussion on and on. My aim was simply to point out that the money could have been better spent elsewhere. That's just my view of what the Quran and ahadith say. You don't have to agree with it.