About Cento Torce

Cento Torce SRL

Cento Torce SRL was established in 2020 for Dr Tom Henry’s freelance art-historical activities, offering specialist consultancy, tours, lectures and teaching.  It is a limited company registered in Italy.  Tom is the director and shareholder.

Company details.

“Raphaello hebbe cento torce portate tucte da’ dipintori”

(Raphael had a hundred torches all carried by artists)

Paolo Maffei describing Raphael’s funeral on 7 April 1520.

Professor Tom Henry

Tom is Emeritus Professor of Art History at the University of Kent in Canterbury, having  had a lengthy career in academia over the years since he completed his PhD at the Courtauld Institute in 1996 (latterly as Director of the University’s Rome School of Classical and Renaissance Studies).  Alongside teaching and research, he has written a monograph on Luca Signorelli and co-authored several books on Raphael.  He has curated major exhibitions including at the National Gallery, London, the Louvre and the Prado. He is currently curating a forthcoming exhibition at the National Gallery for the quincentennial of Raphael’s death and working on a monograph on Raphael to be published by Yale.  He is frequently asked to provide an expert opinion on attribution.  He is based in London, Umbria. and Rome

Full CV. Contact details.

Past publications and research

Past exhibitions and lectures

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Some Highlights of Tom’s publications and research:

In addition to catalogues for the major international exhibitions he has curated, Tom’s recent publications have included:

‘Raphael in Oxford and Vienna’, The Burlington Magazine, CLX (2018), pp. 226-33.

‘Signorelli in Rome’, The Burlington Magazine, CLIX (2017), pp. 440-41.

‘Pontormo & Rosso Fiorentino. Diverging paths of Mannerism’, Apollo, May 2014, pp. 91-93.

‘The Life and Art of Luca Signorelli’, New Haven & London, 2012  (reviewed in  the Spectator, London Review of Books and various other national publications and nominated by Brian Sewell as Christmas book of the year - copies available here)

For full details of past publications see Tom’s CV.  A few samples of  past articles can be browsed via the links below.

Review of Shearman’s collection of Raphael documents: ‘John Shearman – Raphael in Early Modern Sources’, The Burlington Magazine CXLVIII (2006), pp. 696-698. ISSN 0007 628

‘Raphael’s Siege of Perugia’, The Burlington Magazine, CXLVI (2004). ISSN 0007 6287

‘Raphael and Siena’, Apollo, CLV, 2004, pp. 18-24. ISSN 0003 6536

‘Raphael’s altar-piece patrons in Città di Castello’, The Burlington Magazine, CXLIV (2002), pp. 268-78. ISSN 0007 6287

‘Signorelli’s Virgin and Child: a gift to his daughter’, Metropolitan Museum Journal, 36, 2001, pp. 161-8.

Some Highlights of Tom’s work as a curator and lecturer:

Tom curated a highly popular exhibition to mark the 500th anniversay of the death of Luca Signorelli at MAEC in Cortona (June - October 2023).

Tom co-curated a major exhibition on Raphael, at the National Gallery, London (April-July 2022).

Past work has included curating, writing catalogues for and delivering lectures related to the following major exhibitions:

Perugino, Paris (Jacquemart-André), 2014. Co-Curator.

Luca Signorelli, Perugia (Galleria Nazionale) and Umbria, June-Sept 2012. Co-Curator.

El Último Rafael / Raphaël, les dernières années, Madrid (Prado) and Paris (Louvre), 2012-13. Co-Curator.

Pintoricchio, Perugia (Galleria Nazionale) and Spello, Dec 2007-June 2008. Co-Curator.

Gli esordi di Raffaello tra Urbino, Città di Castello e Perugia, Città di Castello (March-June 2006). Co-Curator.

Amicizia e francescanesimo: Luca Signorelli, Umbertide e la pala di Santa Croce, Umbertide (July-Oct 2006). Curator

Raphael: from Urbino to Rome, National Gallery, London (Oct 2004-Jan 2005). Co-Curator.

Signorelli in British Collections, National Gallery, London (Nov 1998-Feb 1999). Curator.

Tom is a highly experienced university lecturer, with many years experience of leading students on tours in Rome and Central Italy and teaching them in front of the objects being studied.

In addition to being a frequent speaker at art-historical conferences, Tom has often appeared on Italian television and in documentaries presenting art-historical topics.  For full details, see Tom’s CV.