PAINTING AT CENTER OF CARAVAGGIO MYSTERY UNVEILED

ART OFFICIALS ON TUESDAY UNVEILED THE PAINTING AT THE CENTER OF THE LATEST CARAVAGGIO MYSTERY, AFTER THE VATICAN NEWSPAPER FIRST SUGGESTED AND THEN DENIED THAT THE CANVAS WAS THE WORK OF THE ITALIAN MASTER. THE 'MARTYRDOM OF ST LAWRENCE' WILL NOW BE SUBJECTED TO X-RAYS AND OTHER ANALYSIS TO ASCERTAIN ITS ATTRIBUTION. BUT ART OFFICIALS AND SCHOLARS ATTENDING THE UNVEILING AGREED THE PAINTING DID NOT LOOK LIKE A CARAVAGGIO, BUT RATHER LIKE THE WORK OF ONE OR MORE OF HIS FOLLOWERS. 'IT'S A VERY INTERESTING PAINTING BUT I BELIEVE WE CAN RULE OUT, AT LEAST FOR NOW, THAT IT'S A CARAVAGGIO', SAID ART SUPERINTENDENT ROSSELLA VODRET. 'THE QUALITY OF THE PAINTING DOESN'T HOLD UP.' VODRET THEATRICALLY OPENED THE CURTAIN ON THE PAINTING IN A JESUIT CHURCH IN ROME, REVEALING A CANVAS DOMINATED BY A FIGURE OF ST LAWRENCE BEING GRILLED TO DEATH, HIS THREE EXECUTIONERS IN THE BACKGROUND. THE 183 BY 130.5 CENTIMETER PAINTING WAS RECENTLY CLEANED AND FEATURES THE DRAMATIC CHIAROSCURO TYPICAL OF CARAVAGGIO AND HIS SCHOOL. THE PAINTING WILL NOT BE ON PUBLIC DISPLAY. THE VATICAN NEWSPAPER, L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO, SET THE ART WORLD AFLUTTER LAST WEEK WITH A FRONT PAGE ARTICLE HEADLINED 'A NEW CARAVAGGIO'. THE ARTICLE MADE CLEAR THAT NO CERTAIN ATTRIBUTION HAD BEEN MADE AND THAT FURTHER TESTS WERE REQUIRED. BUT THE DEFINITIVE-SOUNDING HEADLINE AND THE FACT THAT THE CLAIM WAS MADE ON THE DAY MARKING THE 400th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MASTER'S DEATH HAD RAISED EXPECTATIONS. THE VATICAN HAS IN THE PAST ANNOUNCED SUCH ART-WORLD NEWS IN L'OSSERVATORE, SOMETIMES COINCIDING WITH AN ANNIVERSARY. BUT ON MONDAY, THE NEWSPAPER REVERSED ITSELF AND PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE BY THE VATICAN'S TOP ART HISTORIAN SHOOTING DOWN THE CLAIM. UNDER THE FRONT PAGE HEADLINE 'A NEW CARAVAGGIO? NOT REALLY?', VATICAN MUSEUMS CHIEF ANTONIO PAOLUCCI WROTE THAT THE WORK WAS NOT OF CARAVAGGIO'S QUALITY AND TERMED IT 'MODEST' AT BEST. THE TESTS ON THE 'MARTYRDOM OS ST LAWRENCE' WILL BEGIN IN SEPTEMBER, ACCOMPANIED BY RESEARCH OF ARCHIVES AND DOCUMENTS IN ORDER TO TRACE THE HISTORY OF THE PAINTING AND WHO COMMISSIONED IT. THE RESEARCH WILL TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS.