Caravaggio's hidden masterpiece unveiled at Palazzo Barberini
A real treat for art lovers. In Rome, a Caravaggio painting that has never been exhibited before has been publicly presented. The portrait of the young Maffeo Barberini, the future Pope Urban VIII, can be admired for three months at the Palazzo Barberini.
From Saturday, 23 November, at the Palazzo Barberini in Rome, you can admire a painting by the Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio that has never been publicly displayed before. The portrait of the young Maffeo Barberini, the future Pope Urban VIII, was loaned from a private collection, where it had been since the 1960s. Previously, the painting belonged to the Barberini family.
The displayed work was created around 1598. It will remain in the palace until 23 February next year. The portrait can be seen in the landscape room of the famous Palazzo Barberini, located near Piazza Barberini. Italian media emphasise that "Maffeo Barberini is coming home", referring to the painting's original storage place.
The work shows a young church dignitary from Florence, the progenitor of the Barberini family's power. The artist portrayed him sitting in a chair, holding a letter in one hand, while making a significant gesture of issuing a command with the other.
A Caravaggio painting that "everyone wanted to see"
Characteristic features of Caravaggio's style, such as the brightness of the facial skin, the way the eyes and hands are painted, and the contrasts of light and shadow, have led experts to unanimously attribute the authorship of this portrait to him.
It is the Caravaggio painting that everyone has wanted to see for years. It has never been exhibited, lent, or the subject of exhibitions – said Thomas Clement Salomon, director of the National Gallery of Ancient Art located in the Palazzo Barberini, as quoted by ANSA.
This masterpiece depicts the great personality of Maffeo Barberini, who was an extraordinary figure – "not only an extremely powerful man of power, but also a great and refined intellectual," added Clement.
Art historian Paola Nicita deemed the exhibition of the painting an "epochal event." As she emphasised: "It is not a rediscovered painting, it has been known about since the 1960s, but since then it had only been seen by five or six specialists."
Experts point out that portraits by Caravaggio are extremely rare and can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Some have been lost, and others have never been found. Exhibiting this work is therefore a unique opportunity for art lovers.
