Huge Caravaggio Stash

The Flagellation of Christ by Caravaggio I don't know if you saw it reported in the media this week but Art historians in Italy have for the past two years been secretly working on a collection of paintings and sketches that were found in the workshop of Simone Peterzano that may be attributable to Caravaggio. The young Caravaggio is known to have worked as an apprentice to Peterzano between 1584 and 1588. The collection has apparently been housed in a castle in Milan, Castello Sforzesco, since 1924. If the find can be authenticated then the paintings could be worth an estimated 700 million euros (£560 million).

I met my artist son yesterday for a coffee and knowing him to be a huge Caravaggio fan, excitedly told him what I'd read. He immediately checked out the report on his iphone and commented, "That would be brilliant - if it's for real!"

Slightly crestfallen, I asked him what he meant.

He reminded me of the Van Meegren forgeries of the paintings of Jan Vermeer and how the art world, desperately wanting to believe, had hoodwinked itself. It made me think of other situations like the notorious 'Hitler Diaries' where serious historians, and the media themselves that time, were fooled into parting with lots of dosh.

Whatever the outcome, it's interesting stuff and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on how things unfold. Caravaggio the man was, from what we know about him, quite a difficult individual, perhaps not someone you'd want at your summer barbecue with granny present. He had a fierce temper and was a renowned brawler. He had to get out of Rome pretty fast after killing someone and he is believed later to have wounded a Knight of Malta in a fight. His death in 1610 at the age of 38 has been put down to a variety of natural causes as well as there being a possibility he was murdered. When you look at his life there were, it seems, a number of people who may have been keen to 'do away with him'. If he hadn't been such a damn fine painter it's unlikely I reckon he'd have survived as long as he did! Blind Leading the Blind by Pieter Bruegel the Elder A few years ago my wife Judy and I had the privilege of seeing his painting 'The Flagellation of Christ' (oil on canvas, 1607) at its home in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples. We had caught an occasional glimpse of the great work as we slowly made our way along the long narrow gallery towards the enclosed room at the far end which is maintained at a constant temperature where the Caravaggio is housed. Our sense of excitement increased as we got closer and closer to the work and to be honest we didn't arrive too fast as our progress was constantly hampered by numerous other great works of art, like The Blind Leading the Blind by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (tempura on canvas, 1568). However, eventually we got there and despite being constantly hassled by a guard to move on from the moment we arrived, the experience can only be described as sublime. If the man's handiwork could move us so powerfully from the point where we stand in time, having grown up and lived in a world where we have been constantly bombarded by powerful images, great movie special effects, CGI et al, to be so deeply affected by what one difficult man achieved with a bit of paint on some canvas four hundred years ago is truly amazing, don't you think? Just imagine the effect such realistic painting would have had on a 16th century peasant filled with superstitious belief. It must have seemed like you were there - actually a witness at Christ's passion!

I have always been an art lover, but on this occasion, I was struck dumb by the painting's power. Believe me, the photograph just doesn't do it justice. Perhaps for the first time I was truly able to comprehend why the accolade of 'masterpiece' can only be attributed to a handful of great works.