Italy Acquires Rare Antonello da Messina Painting for €15M from Sotheby's

Italy's Ministry of Culture has acquired a rare double-sided panel by Antonello da Messina for $14.9 million (approximately €15 million) through a private sale brokered by gallerist Fabrizio Moretti with Sotheby's. The work, estimated at $10-15 million, was withdrawn from Sotheby's Master Paintings & Works of Art Part I auction in New York on February 5, 2026. The panel, dated 1460-1465, depicts Ecce Homo on the recto and Saint Jerome in the Desert on the verso. It is one of only 40 known works by the artist and was the last Ecce Homo by Antonello in private hands. The previous owner was a Chilean collector. The acquisition was confirmed by Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli, who called it "an operation of the highest cultural level." The painting will enter Italy's public museum collections, though the specific institution has not yet been announced. The work was attributed to Antonello by scholar Federico Zeri and has been widely exhibited and published. The sale bypassed the auction room through a private treaty, with the Ministry of Culture's Directorate General of Museums handling the purchase. The acquisition was anticipated by leaks from Costantino D'Orazio, director of the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria and Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, and from the Fondazione Federico Zeri's social media profiles.