A NEW CARAVAGGIO PAINTING MAY HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED

THE VATICAN NEWSPAPER REPORTED RECENTLY THAT A NEW CARAVAGGIO PAINTING MAY HAVE BEEN FOUND IN ROME, BUT CAUTIONED THAT FURTHER ANALYSIS ARE REQUIRED BEFORE IT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED FOR CERTAIN TO THE ITALIAN MASTER. THE FRONT-PAGE STORY IN L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO CAME OUT AS ITALY CELEBRATES THE 400th ANNIVERSARY OF CARAVAGGIO'S DEATH. THIS WEEKEND, CHURCHES AND A GALLERY IN ROME HOUSING WORKS BY THE PAINTER STAYED OPEN OVERNIGHT TO MARK THE HISTORIC ANNIVERSARY. THE PAINTING IN QUESTION DEPICTS 'THE MARTYRDOM OF ST LAWRENCE' AND BELONGS TO THE JESUITS IN ROME, THE PAPER SAID. IT DID NOT SAY WHERE THE PAINTING WAS BEING STUDIED OR WHO WAS EXAMINING IT. AN IMAGE OF THE WORK PUBLISHED ABOVE THE HEADLINE 'A NEW CARAVAGGIO' SHOWS A SEMI-NAKED YOUNG MAN, HIS MOUTH OPEN IN DESPERATION, ONE ARM STRETCHED OUT AS HE LEANS OVER AMID FLAMES. IT IS UP TO FURTHER ANALYSIS AND AN IN-DEPTH DOCUMENTARY, STYLISTIC AND CRITICAL EXAMINATION TO PROVIDE US WITH ANSWERS', L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO SAID. CARAVAGGIO DIED IN THE TUSCAN COAST TOWN OF PORTA ERCOLE IN 1610 AT THE AGE OF 39. HE HAD BEEN HUGELY INFLUENTIAL AND FAMOUS, BUT HAD ALSO LED A DISSOLUTE LIFE OF STREET BRAWLS AND ALCOHOL. ITALY HAS BEEN MARKING THE ANNIVERSARY WITH A VARIETY OF EVENTS, AND AN EXHIBIT IN ROME EARLIER THIS YEAR DREW OVER HALF A MILLION VISITORS. IN ITS ARTICLE, L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO POINTED OUT THAT THE MARTYRDOM OF ST LAWRENCE PRESENTED FEATURES OF CARVAGGIO'S STYLE, SUCH AS THE USE OF CHIAROSCURO FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT AND UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE FROM THE SUBJECT IS SEEN. THE REPORT ALSO HIGHLIGHTED SIMILARITIES WITH OTHER CARAVAGGIO PAINTINGS, FOR EXAMPLE IN THE SAINT'S HAND OR BODY MOVEMENT. HOWEVER, THE NEWSPAPER ALSO NOTED THAT NO KNOWN DOCUMENT MENTIONS ST LAWRENCE AS A SUBJECT FOR CARAVAGGIO. MAURIZIO MARINI, A LEADING CARAVAGGIO SCHOLAR, CONCURRED THAT ST LAWRENCE, A MARTYR BURNED TO DEATH DURING ROMAN PERSECUTIONS IN 258, WAS NOT A KNOWN CARAVAGGIO SUBJECT. MARINI SAID STYLISTIC SIMILARITIES ARE INCONCLUSIVE AND HE EXPRESSED SKEPTICISM, SAYING THAT CLAIMS OF NEW CARAVAGGIOS OFTEN SURFACE BUT SELDOM HOLD UP.