The Italian state has secured a painting by the Baroque master Caravaggio, a significant artist of the 16th and 17th centuries, for €30 million (approximately £25.9 million). This acquisition represents one of the largest sums the nation has ever allocated for a single artwork.
According to the country’s Minister of Culture, the newly purchased artwork is a portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini. Barberini later ascended to the papacy as Pope Urban VIII. The minister characterized the work as holding “exceptional importance,” and its acquisition is framed as part of a larger initiative to safeguard major artworks from acquisition by private collectors.
This portrait had previously resided within a private collection in Florence. Its first public display occurred in Rome in 2024.
Caravaggio, celebrated for his masterful use of lighting to imbue his subjects with a sense of lifelike presence, has approximately 65 known surviving works. Among these, only three are classified as portraits.
The painting has now been integrated into the permanent collection at the Palazzo Barberini. This historic palazzo served as the ancestral home of the very family connected to the individual depicted in the portrait. The palazzo is located in Rome, the city where the portrait was initially exhibited.
Visitors will be able to view the acquired painting alongside other works attributed to Caravaggio.
Created around 1598, the portrait depicts Barberini as a bearded cleric. His right hand is extended, seemingly in the act of issuing instructions.
Barberini was elected to the papacy in 1623 and held the position until his passing in 1644. He was recognized for his considerable support of the arts during his lifetime.
Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli issued a statement detailing the acquisition. He described it as being “part of a broader project to strengthen the national cultural heritage that the Ministry of Culture will continue to pursue in the coming months.” He further stated the objective is “making some art history masterpieces accessible to scholars and enthusiasts that would otherwise be destined for the private market.”
“I would like to express my gratitude to all the institutions, officials, and technicians who have worked with great skill and dedication to achieve such an important result,” Giuli added.
Caravaggio, whose birth name was Michelangelo Merisi, died in 1610 at the age of 38. He gained renown for his distinctive chiaroscuro technique. This method involved a dramatic interplay of light and shadow, which he employed to achieve profound psychological realism, particularly in the often violent scenes that characterized much of his artistic output.