Art expert rubbishes Carravaggio claims
Claims that the Caravaggio masterpiece in the National Gallery is not an original were rubbished today by a British art expert.
The recent discovery of an identical work in Italy has sparked heated debate, with Italian art dealers convinced theirs is authentic and the other a copy.
But art collector and historian Sir Denis Mahon said the Italian artist had painted at least two versions of The Taking of Christ and both were originals.
He said it was important to understand how Caravaggio worked.
“Caravaggio never made preparatory drawings as many artists did,” he said.
“He developed an idea on a canvas with changes in mind and then reproduced other versions making tracings of the first so we have a number of potential originals of each subject.
“It was an unusual way of working but that was how Caravaggio worked.”
Sir Denis said the version found in Rome was slightly different from the one in Ireland, but there was no doubt it was an original.
“We can see in that painting the figure of Christ was originally much more to the left of the composition, and then was moved,” he told RTÉ.
“The point is, he was trying out various ideas and moved figures about to create more space.”
He said there was no doubt the painting in Dublin came after the one found in Rome, but said it was in extremely good condition and was certainly painted by Caravaggio.
“What’s important is that these paintings demonstrate in a very clear way how the artist worked,” he added.
Italian art expert Maria Letizia Paoletti claimed earlier this week that the recent discovery in Rome should force specialists to reconsider the authenticity of the painting in Dublin.
Experts at the National Gallery in Dublin have dismissed the claims, having spent three years authenticating the work.
The Taking of Christ, which portrays the moment Jesus was betrayed by the kiss of Judas, is the most celebrated work at the Dublin gallery.
It hung unrecognised in a Jesuit house for decades, its potential only spotted when sent to the National Gallery for cleaning.
The work was commissioned in 1602 for the Mattei family, members of the Roman nobility, when the controversial Caravaggio was at the height of his powers.
