Hold on to your art-loving hats because the Museo Nacional del Prado is about to showcase a jaw-dropping masterpiece that will leave art enthusiasts buzzing with excitement. "The Lost Caravaggio," officially known as Ecce Homo, will make its grand public debut tomorrow in a one-piece exhibition in Room 8A. This spectacular painting by the legendary Italian artist Caravaggio will be on display from May 28 until October 13, 2024.
Why all the fuss, you ask? Caravaggio fans will know that only around 60 of his works exist today, making Ecce Homo one of the most valuable old master artworks in the world. This painting enriches Prado's collection and joins another of Caravaggio's treasures, David and Goliath, which recently had its colours and contrasted gloriously restored.
According to a press release from Museo Parado, the dramatic story of Ecce Homo's reemergence reads like a Dan Brown novel. It first resurfaced at Madrid's Ansorena auction house in April 2021, initially attributed to a pupil of José de Ribera. Recognizing its true potential, the Prado Museum quickly alerted Spain's Ministry of Culture, setting off a chain of events that would see the painting come under the custodianship of the prestigious Colnaghi gallery, with contributions from art dealers Filippo Benappi and Andrea Lullo.
The press release stated that restoration specialist Andrea Cipriani, alongside experts from the Comunidad de Madrid, painstakingly restored the piece, supervised by top-notch professionals. The speed and consensus surrounding the painting's authentication make this tale even more riveting. Following an in-depth investigation by Claudio Falcucci, a nuclear engineer specializing in scientific techniques for cultural heritage conservation, every brushstroke and pigment was meticulously examined. The conclusion? Ecce Homo is indeed a genuine Caravaggio masterpiece.
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