Three years ago, there was this painting that almost got sold at an auction for $1,600, and now it turns out it’s a lost masterpiece by Caravaggio! Crazy, right? The painting, called “Ecce Homo,” shows Jesus right before he’s about to be crucified. Apparently, it’s one of only 60 paintings known to be done by Caravaggio. The Prado museum in Spain is gonna show it off for the first time on May 27th, and everyone’s buzzing about it.
So, here’s the scoop: back in April 2021, this painting was supposed to go up for auction as a piece by one of Caravaggio’s students, José de Ribera. But then, Spanish officials were like, “Hold up!” They stopped the auction because the Prado museum tipped them off about the painting possibly being the real deal. Turns out, it might’ve been in the collection of Phillip IV of Spain back in the day.
The folks trying to sell it were a family from Madrid who’d had it since the 1800s. After some checks and a bit of fixing up, they got the green light to sell it. And guess what? Experts say this painting could’ve fetched tens of millions, maybe even more!
Now, the new owner’s keeping their identity on the down-low, but they picked the Prado to unveil the painting. Since last April, it’s been looked after by the Colnaghi art gallery and got spruced up by this restoration whiz named Andrea Cipriani. The painting will be on display until October, and then it’ll join the Prado’s permanent collection for a while.
