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Associated PressEcce homo
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 18:08
A newly discovered work by the world-famous painter Caravaggio will soon be on display in Madrid. The seventeenth-century painting has recently been attributed to the Italian painter. Museum Del Prado is allowed to temporarily exhibit the canvas and calls it one of the greatest discoveries in art history.
On the painting Behold the man (Latin for “Behold the man”) shows a fragment from the New Testament, in which Pontius Pilate shows Jesus with a crown of thorns to the crowds. It measures 111 by 86 centimeters.
Worth much more
The painting was due to be auctioned in 2021 and was then attributed to an unknown artist. It was estimated at around 1500 euros. When experts started to doubt the maker, the auction was blocked.
The owners had research done and it turned out that it was a canvas by Caravaggio. This immediately increased its value enormously. For comparison, another work by the Italian was auctioned in 2019 for 150 million euros.
The owners had the painting restored and decided to put it up for auction again. It is not known who currently owns the painting and how much was paid for it.
Sixty works
Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio lived from 1571 to 1610. About sixty of his works are known. Behold the man was made between 1605 and 1609. It is said to have once belonged to the private collection of the Spanish King Philip IV.
The painting can be seen in the El Prado Museum from May 28 to October. The results of the study will be released at the same time.
