A Caravaggio masterpiece that was nearly sold for the price of a laptop in 2021 is now on show in Madrid's Prado museum. A painting that was once thought to be worth the price of a MacBook has been newly verified as a multimillion-dollar masterpiece by the Baroque painter Carvaggio and is now on show in the Prado. ‘Ecce Homo’ was painted by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio in the 17th century around 1605-1609, close to his death in 1610.
The painting, which shows Pontius Pilate as he presents the bound Jesus to the masses and utters the infamous Latin phrase for “behold the man” is now on show to the masses in Madrid’s famous Prado museum. Ecce ‘Ecce Homo’ indeed. The painting is one of only around 60 works attributed to the master painter who is known for his distinctive use of chiaroscuro, the contrast between light and darkness, and while there is already a well-known version of ‘Ecce Homo’ by Caravaggio, this one was originally not believed to be by the Italian painter.
In fact, the Madrid ‘Ecce Homo’ as this version is referred to, was nearly sold at auction in 2021 at a lot with a starting price of just €1,500. The auction was stopped in time by order of the Spanish government on suspicion it was actually by Caravaggio. Originally, it was believed to have been painted by José de Ribera, a Spanish painter also from the 17th century.
The painting had been inherited by three Spanish siblings who had had it in their family’s possession since 182.
