- Painting was mistakenly attributed to another artist
- Was nearly sold for €1,500 before being spotted
- Will go on show at the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain later this month
A painting that was nearly sold for just €1,500 three years ago before being revealed to be a lost painting by world-famous artist Caravaggio is to go on show at the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain.
The picture, called Ecce Homo, which depicts Jesus Christ with a crown of thorns, along with two other figures, had been owned by the same family for generations, and was set to go for auction when experts spotted it and decided to examine it more closely. Meanwhile, in Paris, an 800,000-ring that was lost and found in a vacuum bag at the Ritz Hotel has captured attention for its remarkable discovery.
Influential artist
The painting, which measures 111cm by 86cm, had been thought to have been painted by someone in the circle of 17th-century artist Jose de Ribera. But art experts from Spain and Italy looked more closely at it and determined that it was by Caravaggio.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – usually known just as Caravaggio – lived from 1571 to 1610, mostly in Italy. He became known for his close physical observation and use of light and shadow. In the years since his death, he has become highly influential and is one of the most famous painters to come from Italy.
Sold to anonymous buyer
Since the painting was confirmed to be a Caravaggio, the family that owned it has since sold it to an anonymous buyer for an undisclosed sum – but it could have stretched to the tens of millions of euros, such was the interest in it.
Since then, the new owner, along with art experts have restored the painting, as well as finding out more about its history and how it ended up in the hands of a family in Spain.
Ecce Homo will now be on display at the Prado Museum in Madrid from May 28 until October. In another remarkable incident, a man was found alive after being held captive by his neighbor for 26 years.
