The Vatican admitted that the painting "Martyrdom of St. Lawrence" does not belong to Caravaggio

The Vatican’s chief historian published a report recently that a painting by Caravaggio was discovered in Rome. The head of the Vatican Museum, Antonio Paolucci, wrote on Monday, July 26, 2010, in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, that the work was discovered in the sacristy of the Jesuit church in Rome, but most likely this canvas is a copy from the original performed by one of the students of Caravaggio. A little earlier, last week, an article was published in L’Osservatore Romano that attributed the authorship of Martyrdom to Caravaggio, but it was stipulated that comprehensive research was needed.

The head of the Vatican Museums, Antonio Paolucci, writes in the newspaper L’Osservatore Romano that the work was possibly a copy of the original painting by Caravaggio.

Last week, an article was published in the L’Osservatore on the front page under the heading New Caravaggio detailing the work Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, which was discovered in the sacristy of the Jesuits in Rome. The author of the article, art critic Lydia Salvucci Insolera, made it clear that she does not draw any conclusions about the authenticity of the work and that more detailed studies are required. However, the emotional sound of the title, published along with a color photograph of a dramatic picture - on the 400th anniversary of the master’s death, inspired certain expectations.

The Vatican in the past published similar news of the art world in L’Osservatore, for example, when it was announced last year that the earliest known icon of St. Paul was discovered in Roman catacombs just on the feast of the Saint himself.

The original article, published on June 18, noted that the painting “Martyrdom of St. Lawrence” guesses traits characteristic of the Caravaggio style, such as the use of chiaroscuro to create a dramatic effect or a unique perspective. The report also emphasizes the similarity with other paintings by Caravaggio, for example, in the depiction of the saint’s hand and the movements of his body. But on Monday, the newspaper published a refutation of the first guesses about the authorship of the picture, moreover, Antonio Paolucci noted that the picture does not reach the quality of the work of the great master and called it “modest” at best.

The picture depicts a half-naked young man with an open mouth in despair, he held out one hand and leans in the midst of the flame. St. Lawrence was burned in the year 258 A.D. The size of the picture is 180 x 130 cm (72 x 51 inches). A public exhibition of the painting has not yet been planned.

Paolucci said that although the idea of filing the burning of St. Lawrence on a metal grate, where he became a martyr, was good, his bandits commit his martyrdom, which is ambiguous. He said that the hands are “bad at this point of view”, that the anatomy is “wrong”, especially “in the event of exposure”. Paolucci called the technique of the picture as a whole "inadequate." “There is no quality, while Caravaggio always had it, and high, even if he used maximum carelessness and less expressive means,” writes Paolucci. He emphasized that he did not criticize Lydia Insolera and noted that she correctly and clearly wrote that a detailed analysis would be required to finally establish authorship.

The painting was opened to the public on Tuesday by the Italian Ministry of Culture. At the time of the opening, art critic Maurizio Marini, a leading specialist in Caravaggio’s art, expressed doubts about the authenticity of the work. In an interview with the Associated Press, he agreed with Insolera who noted that the burning of St. Lawrence is not a plot known to Caravaggio. He also said that the attempt to discover stylistic similarities was unsuccessful, and that the search for new paintings by Caravaggio often gives “results”, but rarely expectations are met.

Caravaggio died in a Tuscan town off the coast of Porto Ercole in 1610 at the age of 39 under mysterious circumstances. He was a very influential and famous citizen, but he also led a dissolute lifestyle, participated in street fights and abused alcohol. Recently, a group of Italian scientists said that after a year of excavation of bones in Porto Ercole and a radiocarbon analysis, as well as DNA analysis, it is highly likely that they found the remains of Caravaggio.

Events dedicated to the work of Caravaggio this year attracted more than half a million visitors to the exhibitions.

A detailed study of the painting “Martyrdom of St. Lawrence” is planned for September 2010, and work will also be carried out in the archives in order to trace the history of the appearance and future path of this canvas. Presumably, it will take several months to research.

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