MICHELANGELO'S 'CHRIST ON THE CROSS' MAY BE A FAKE

AN INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN LAUNCHED INTO WHETHER THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT PAID £2.9 MILLION FOR A FAKED FIGURE OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS, SAID TO HAVE BEEN CREATED BY MICHELANGELO. THE WOODEN CARVING WAS BOUGHT A YEAR AGO FROM AN ART DEALER BASED IN TURIN, WHO INSISTED IT WAS GENUINE AND HAD BEEN ACQUIRED FROM A FLORENTINE FAMILY. HE INITIALLY ASKED FOR £13 MILLION FOR THE HISTORIC ARTIFACT BUT EVENTUALLY AGREED TO ACCEPT JUST UNDER £3 MILLION PROSECUTORS IN ROME WHO SPECIALIZE IN ART FRAUD OPENED AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEAL THIS WEEK. THEY WILL SCRUTINIZE DOCUMENT FROM A COURT IN LAZIO, WHICH FIRST STARTED INVESTIGATING THE MYSTERY IN THE SUMMER AFTER SUSPICIONS WERE RAISED THAT THE STATE HAD WASTED ITS MONEY ON A WRONGLY ATTRIBUTED WORK. GREAT FANFARE SURROUNDED THE PURCHASE OF THE WOODEN FIGURE LAST DECEMBER. IT WAS PRESENTED TO POPE BENEDICT XVI, EXHIBITED AT THE ITALIAN PARLIAMENT AND THEN SENT ON TOUR OF THE COUNTRY IN AN EXHIBITION WHICH ATTRACTED THOUSANDS OF VISITORS. THERE WERE EVEN PLANS TO LEND IT TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY IN WASHINGTON AS A WAY OF HONORING PRESIDENT OBAMA. BUT SEVERAL PROMINENT ART EXPERTS HAVE SAID THEY BELIEVE THE CHRIST FIGURE WAS MADE BY AN ARTIST OTHER THAN MICHELANGELO. IT WAS FIRST ATTRIBUTED TO MICHELANGELO, AFTER YEARS OF SCRUTINY, BY EXPERTS FROM THE UNIVERSITIES OF FLORENCE, SIENA AND PERUGIA IN 204. THE DIRECTOR OF THE VATICAN MUSEUMS SAID THAT WHILE THERE WAS NO CAST-IRON GUARANTEE THAT MICHELANGELO CARVED THE STATUE, THE ATTRIBUTION TO THE RENAISSANCE GENIUS WAS BASED ON 'VERY REASONABLE GROUNDS'.