The New York Times recently reported on an intriguing story in which a long-lost painting by Caravaggio was discovered in an attic of a French family who had lived in their home for many generations. The painting of "Judith Beheading Holofernes" was found by the owner of a house near Toulouse while investigating a water leak behind a locked door in the family's attic.
Earlier this month French art dealer Eric Turquin presented the painting at his art gallery in Paris, where it will remain until there is a buyer of the work, which is estimated to be worth in excess of 120 million euros or $136 million. After two years of research, Turquin declared that the painting was an authentic work by the Italian Renaissance master, Caravaggio.
The art work is thought to have been created in Rome around 1604 to 1605 by Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio. Caravaggio is revered as one of the most revolutionary figures of European Art.
The attribution of the work to Carravaggio has caused a rift of sorts in the art world as some experts have publicly disputed the finding. On the one hand, Nicola Spinosa, former director of the Capodimonte Museum in Naples and a Caravaggio expert, has public supported the authenticity of the painting in a written evaluation for Turquin. In particular, Spinosa wrote that the decisive style of the painting "allows us to identify this as an original Caravaggio that we thought was lost until now." On the other hand, Mina Gregori, a Caravaggio expert, believes that the painting is a copy by Flemish artist Louis Finson.
While some of the research on the painting had been conducted at the Louvre, the museum has not reached a definitive conclusion on whether the painting is an authentic Caravaggio. However, experts there requested that a government commission on national treasures grant the painting protected status so that further research can be conducted. Last month the French Culture Ministry prohibited the export of the painting abroad for 30 months.
In the meantime, the art world will certainly be awaiting to hear whether the Louvre has reached a determination on the authenticity of this apparent long-lost art treasure.
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