1/6/2024 0 Comments Lost masterpiece found![]() But a few years later, art historians used new technologies to reexamine the painting, leading them to a decidedly different conclusion. There, experts gave preliminary confirmation that the work was inauthentic, partly because it lacked a signature. New homeowners suspected that the painting might be a van Gogh, so they brought it to Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum in 1991. There it sat until the collector’s death in 1970. Initially believed to be the famous artist’s handiwork, the 1888 artwork was reportedly relegated to the attic after the French ambassador to Sweden visited Mustad's home and suggested it was a fake. It once belonged to Theo van Gogh, noted art dealer and brother of Vincent van Gogh. In 1908, Norwegian industrialist Christian Nicolai Mustad purchased a 19th century painting of the French countryside at sunset, called Sunset at Montmajour. Van Gogh, Sunset at Montmajour, 1888 / Wikipedia/ Public Domain That said, you won’t be seeing the polarizing Judith Beheading Holofernes replica showcased abroad anytime soon: The French government has placed an export ban on the canvas until November 2018, to prevent it being snapped up by an international collector. In 2016, art historian Giovanni Agosti resigned from the board of Milan’s Brera Art Gallery after the institution displayed the work alongside authenticated Caravaggio paintings. ![]() Meanwhile, the contested Caravaggio work continues to be a magnet for controversy. Other experts, like British art critic Jonathan Jones, claim that the painting lacks Caravaggio’s “psychological intensity” or signature realism. (According to Finson’s will, the Flemish painter owned a copy of Judith Beheading Holofernes, but it disappeared around 400 years ago.)Īrt expert Eric Turquin asserts that the attic Caravaggio is indeed genuine, citing its brush strokes, intricate details, and use of light and energetic style as proof. Some experts claim that Louis Finson-a 17th-century Flemish Baroque painter who both studied and imitated Caravaggio’s style-created the work, while others believe that the Renaissance master painted it himself sometime in the early 1600s. The painting-a version of the artist’s Judith Beheading Holofernes (1599 to 1602), on display in Rome’s National Gallery of Ancient Art-was cleaned and analyzed in Paris, where experts debated its true origins. Tucked away in the rafters was a hidden painting that may be the handiwork of Italian artist Caravaggio. In 2014, French homeowners in Toulouse discovered much more than just a puddle in the attic while trying to fix their leaky roof. Caravaggio, Judith Beheading Holofernes, late 16th to early 17th century / Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
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