Un Caravage pour Rome
The Italian Ministry of Culture has acquired Caravaggio's 'Portrait of Maffeo Barberini' for the state. The painting, which had been on loan to the Palazzo Barberini from its private owner, will now be permanently deposited at the museum.
The acquisition secures a major work by the Baroque master for public access in Rome, where it was already displayed. The painting's attribution to Caravaggio, first proposed by scholar Roberto Longhi in the 1960s, is widely accepted, making this a significant addition to Italy's national collection of Old Master paintings.