Spain's Prado museum will showcase a newly verified Caravaggio 'Ecce Homo' painting
A painting by the famous Italian Renaissance artist Caravaggio, titled "Ecce Homo", has been unveiled at the Prado Museum in Madrid. The dark canvas depicts a bloodied Jesus wearing a crown of thorns just before his crucifixion, and is one of only around 60 known works by Caravaggio.
The painting was previously mistakenly attributed to an artist belonging to the circle of 17th century Spanish painter Jose de Ribera. A Madrid auction house had been planning to sell the work in April 2021 with an opening price of €1,500.
However, just hours before the auction, the Spanish culture ministry stepped in and blocked the sale, suspecting the painting was actually an authentic Caravaggio.
Caravaggio's works are worth millions of euros, so the misidentification would have resulted in the painting being severely undervalued.
The Prado Museum has now officially confirmed the painting's attribution to the renowned Italian master after further investigation and analysis. This rediscovery is considered a significant art historical finding.
The ministry action came after the Prado museum sounded the alarm, saying it had "sufficient documentary and stylistic evidence" to suggest that the work was in fact by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.
The museum announced earlier this month that top experts have determined that the painting is "without a doubt, a Caravaggio masterpiece", calling it "one of the greatest discoveries in the history of art".
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The painting has been restored and will now be displayed to the public for the first time since it was confirmed as an authentic work by the Italian Renaissance master.
The unveiling is taking place at a press conference at the Prado Museum in Madrid. Experts who worked on identifying and restoring the artwork will be participating in the event.
Spanish media have reported that the painting was purchased by a British national living in Spain for the price of €36 million. However, the new owner does not intend to keep the "Ecce Homo" in a private home.
Instead, the buyer wants the painting to join "public collections, for the moment, on loan", as stated by Jorge Coll, the lead of the London art gallery Colnaghi which handled the sale. Coll told Spain's top newspaper El Pais that "the painting is not going to end up in the home of its buyer".
