Did the priest find the original Murillo? Automatic translate

GRENADA, SPAIN. Joaquin Caler (Joaquin Caler), a rural priest, whose parish includes three small villages near Grenada, in southern Spain, claims to have made the greatest discovery in the field of art. About nine years ago, he acquired from one Seville family the painting “Ce Man” (Ecce Homo), which depicts Christ crowned with a crown of thorns with his hands tied. Cahler said that the painting now on display at the Guadix Cathedral Museum is a genuine 17th-century work by one of Spain’s greatest artists, Bartolome Esteban Murillo.

Caler is sure that it is his work that is the original work of Murillo “The Man,” which later created many copies. Calera is supported by Enrique Pareja López, an academician at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and former director of the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville. Lopez examined the painting after its restoration, when it was recognized as the work of Murillo, and believes that it was created between 1665 and 1670, and is superior in quality to the version of the Hekscher Museum. “I am convinced that we see beautiful painting. It is so good that it should be considered the original version of the theme, ”he says.

But there are experts who do not agree with this statement. Benito Navarrete (Benito Navarrete) and Enrique Valdivieso (Enrique Valdivieso), two very respected experts on the work of Murillo, denied the loud statement. They believe that just the canvas, located in the Cathedral of Guadix, was created by Murillo’s assistants. The Spaniards who lived in the 17th century often ordered similar paintings for their personal prayers. Navarrette, a professor of art history at the University of Alcalá in Madrid and a former member of the Control Committee of the art fair, Tefaf Maastricht, says the quality of the work is too poor to be considered a work by a great artist. “I don’t see Murillo’s hand in this work: the face of Christ is poorly executed, this is just a copy,” Navarrete says.

It is interesting that in spite of the fact that the authenticity of the painting from the Hekscher Museum was confirmed by many respected art historians, the canvas appears in the museum’s catalog as belonging to Murillo’s “followers”.

Enrique Valdivieso, a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Seville, expressed the following opinion: “Murillo was more skilled than the canvas in the Gaudix Cathedral shows us. Even the canvas from Heckscher shows that Murillo finished it in a hurry, although “Behold the Man” from Gaudix Cathedral is undoubtedly the best-preserved version of the painting. ”

The painting, owned by the village priest, was also examined by Enrique Parra Crego, who conducted a laboratory analysis of pigments. The analysis confirmed that the pigments are identical to those from the paintings of Francisco de Zurbaran, Diego Velazquez, Francisco Pacheco and, of course, Murillo. Manuel Chiappi, the restorer who restored the painting, described it as a work of the highest quality, which is in excellent condition. This is primarily due to the fact that for centuries the work was in the same place. Chiappi said that he only removed “some layers of varnish” and repaired minor damage. He also noted that the work was probably trimmed, as its composition is not as well balanced as the other variations of this plot.

According to Joaquin Calera, he is not going to sell the work, which has been hanging in his bedroom for nine years. About a year, the canvas will be on public display in the museum of the Cathedral of Guadix, and then the happy owner of the masterpiece intends to transfer the painting to another place. Which one is not yet known.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru