On Monday, May 27, Madrid's Prado Museum unveiled a lost painting by Italian baroque master Caravaggio. It is described as one of the greatest discoveries in art history. The painting will be in public display for the first time this week.
'Ecce Homo' (Behold the Man) has been lost since the 19th century. The painting shows Roman governor Pontius Pilate presenting Christ to the people.
The Spanish government ordered the painting's withdrawal from sale in 2021, only hours before it was scheduled for auction, with an opening bid of $1,600.
The painting is being exhibited for the first time since its true status was verified three years after that decisive intervention.
Earlier this month, Prado said the painting was "without a doubt, a Caravaggio masterpiece."
Caravaggio, who passed away in 1610 at age 38, was well known for his dramatic use of light and shadow to give his typically violent scenes a profound psychological realism.
According to art historians, his work marks the birth of contemporary painting.
Before 'Ecce Homo' was shown in the quarters of his son Charles II, it is believed to have been a part of Spain's King Philip IV's private collection.
When it reappeared in Madrid in April 2021, it was identified as the creation of an artist belonging to José de Ribera, a Spanish painter from the 17th century.
However, the Spanish culture ministry stopped the painting's sale after Prado experts doubted the painting's true authorship.
The painting will be on display until October in a special one-off exhibition after an arrangement with its new owner, who is believed to be a British national who lives in Spain.
After that, the canvas will move to the Prado's permanent collection for another four months.
Reports from Spanish media claimed that the painting was sold for $39 million.
Jorge Coll, the lead of the London art gallery Colnaghi, which handled the sale, told El País newspaper that the painting would remain on loan to public collections rather than ending up in the owner's home.
