The monetary value of preparatory studies was slight in the Renaissance – but for the ideas they contained, they were worth their weight in gold
June 2025
Apollo
Rakewell
Will Wiles
Zachary Ginsberg
This episode explores an ancient funeral stele, Marie Antoinette’s breast bowl, and how digital technologies are helping to preserve Egyptian heritage sites
![Masterpiece [Re]discovery 2022. Photo: Ben Fisher Photography, courtesy of Masterpiece London](https://apollo-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/MPL2022_4263.jpg)
Why did Renaissance artists steal each other’s drawings?
The monetary value of preparatory studies was slight in the Renaissance – but for the ideas they contained, they were worth their weight in gold