Caravaggio’s “Ecce Homo” is on display at the Prado after its mysterious reappearance
A crowd flocked to the opening of the doors of the Prado on Monday May 27 to catch a preview, “after three years of mystery, theEcce Homo by Caravaggio, one of the lost paintings of the Baroque genius”, relates El País. This shows that the exhibition of this painting at the Madrid museum, scheduled until October, is an event, as highlighted by the Spanish and Italian newspapers, which return to the incredible epic of this painting representing Christ after the flagellation .
It was in 2021 that the painting reappeared at an auction in Madrid: then attributed to the entourage of José de Ribera, a Spanish disciple of the master, it was offered for sale for a price starting at 1,500 euros. But very quickly, the Spanish authorities suspended the sale while waiting to verify the identity of the painter, who turned out to be none other than Caravaggio himself, says El País. Bought in 2023 by an English contemporary art collector for around 30 million euros, it was the subject of an agreement with the Prado Museum, which can exhibit it free of charge.
From Naples to Seville
Present at the inauguration was one of the experts who confirmed in July 2021 the real authorship of the painting. Italian Maria Cristina Terzaghi, art historian and professor at Roma Tre University, said she was delighted to see the work exhibited in a dedicated room.
She traces in the
