“The Portrait of Maffeo Barberini”, a painting by Caravaggio, the nickname given to the Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi, is exhibited for the first time.
The exhibition begins on Saturday at the Palazzo Barberini, in Rome.
Roberto Longhi, an Italian Art historian, discovered this work in 1961 in an antique dealer's shop, before the painting disappeared for half a century.
It is a particularly singular painting and of great value. A rare painting by Caravaggio, the nickname given to the Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi (1571-1610), is on display for the first time. The portrait of Maffeo Barberini is on display to the public from Saturday November 23 at the Palazzo Barberini and until February 23, 2025, said this museum located in Rome.
The portrait of Maffeo Barberini represents the future Pope Urban VIII, from the great Roman noble family of Barberini. Born in 1568, this extremely wealthy humanist, figure of high Roman society, was elected in 1623 to the throne of Saint Peter, which he occupied until his death in 1644. This painting would have been painted at the turn of the 17th century , but its precise dating remains the subject of debate.
It shows the future pope seated and appearing to give orders with his right hand. “The representation of the young 30-year-old cardinal suddenly turning his head is a moving portrait, a prodigy of 17th century painting – in permanent war with sculpture – which could only be the work of Caravaggio”describes the Italian daily The Republic (new window). The portrait, with its bare and uncolored decor, “plays on light and shadow” et “the heart of painting lies in the hands: the left hand which clutches a letter (…) and the right hand which comes out of the painting, enters our space”explains Paola Nicita, art historian and curator at the Barberini Gallery, to AFP.
A painting discovered in an antique dealer
“It’s a painting that expresses itself through gestures,” she also observes, marveling at “modern hands almost evoking (Editor’s note: the French realist painter of the 19th century) Gustave Courbet “. “This marvelous gesture of the outstretched right hand is very reminiscent of the gesture of Christ in The Vocation of Saint Matthew”, one of Caravaggio's most famous works, which can be found in the Roman church of Saint-Louis des Français”adds Paola Nicita.
As indicated International Mail (new window)Roberto Longhi, famous Italian art historian and great specialist on Caravaggio, discovered this painting in 1961 in the shop of an antique dealer in Florence. The art critic authenticated it in 1963. A photograph taken by Roberto Longhi was the only proof of the existence of Caravaggio's work for years because this immense canvas measuring 124 by 90 centimeters then vanished. , disappearing for more than half a century before she resurfaced. Previously, the painting, lacking documentation, was part of the Barberini family collection for centuries before passing into a private collection when its assets were dispersed in the 1930s, according to the art critic.
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Historic home of this family, now home to the National Gallery of Ancient Art, the Barberini Palace already permanently houses four works by Caravaggio: Judith beheading Holofernes, Narcisse, Saint John the Baptist et Saint Francis.
“Almost magnetic effect”
This table “has never been loaned to an exhibition, it has never been seen in a museum, so it is an absolute preview”rejoices the director of the gallery, Thomas Clement Salomon, to AFP. “The portraits painted by Caravaggio can be counted on the fingers of one hand, so being able to show one to the public and experts is exceptional”he adds about the tormented genius of chiaroscuro. Thomas Clement Salomon also underlines the interest of the subject: Maffeo Barberini was “not only an extremely powerful man of power, but also a great and refined intellectual”.
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“Only a very few scholars, from the 1960s to the present, have had the opportunity to see this painting in person. It is one thing to know the painting from photographs, but it is quite different to know it see this portrait up close and feel its quality and its almost magnetic effect”estimates Paola Nicita from Reuters. As indicated The Republicthe exhibition of this painting by Michelangelo Merisi will give a “a real preview of the major exhibition on the cursed painter, scheduled for March 2025 on the occasion of the Jubilee” of the Vatican.
