Caravaggio's Ecce Homo Discovered in Madrid, Remains in Spain
A painting believed to be by Caravaggio, titled Ecce Homo, was found in Madrid after Ansorena listed it for auction on April 8, 2021, starting at €1,500. Art historian Cristina Terzaghi identified it as a Caravaggio piece from 1606-1607, which was brought to Spain by Viceroy García Avellaneda y Haro. The Comunidad de Madrid was notified by the Museo del Prado, initiating steps to classify it as a Bien de Interés Cultural, thereby preventing its export. The current owners, the Pérez de Castro family, are related to politician Evaristo Pérez de Castro, who traded another painting for Ecce Homo in 1823. Under the 1985 Heritage Law, the painting will stay in Spain, with any attribution or restoration needing Comunidad de Madrid approval.
Key facts
- Ecce Homo attributed to Caravaggio discovered in Madrid.
- Painting was listed for auction by Ansorena on April 8, 2021, with a starting price of €1,500.
- Art historian Cristina Terzaghi identified it as a Caravaggio from 1606-1607.
- The work was exported to Spain in the 1650s by Viceroy García Avellaneda y Haro.
- Museo del Prado alerted authorities; Comunidad de Madrid declared it Bien de Interés Cultural.
- Current owners are the Pérez de Castro family, descendants of politician Evaristo Pérez de Castro.
- In 1823, Evaristo Pérez de Castro exchanged a painting with the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando for the Ecce Homo.
- The painting originally came from the confiscated collection of Manuel Godoy in 1808.
- Art dealer Jorge Coll (Colnaghi) is representing the family.
- The painting cannot leave Spain under the 1985 Heritage Law.
Entities
Artists
- Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
- Cristina Terzaghi
- Alonso Cano
- Pedro Attanasio Boccanegra
- Francesco Furini
- Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
- Francisco Goya
- Diego Velázquez
- José María Luzón
- Itziar Araña
- Alfredo Pérez de Armiñan
- Jorge Coll
- Evaristo Pérez de Castro
- Manuel Godoy
- García Avellaneda y Haro
- Ferdinand VII
- Charles IV
Institutions
- Ansorena
- Museo del Prado
- Comunidad de Madrid
- Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
- Università RomaTre
- Patrimonio Nacional
- Colnaghi
- Coll & Cortés
- Centro Studi I+D+I dell'Accademia di Belle Arti di San Fernando
- Università di Padova
- Louvre
Locations
- Madrid
- Spain
- Naples
- Italy
- New York
- London
- Venice
- Varese
- Cadiz
- Puerta del Sol
- calle Alcalá
- Valle de Los Caídos