The painting titled Monsignor Maffeo Barberini, a masterpiece by Caravaggio that has never been shown to the public will be on display from Nov. 23 to Feb. 23, 2025 in the Sala dei Paesaggi of Palazzo Barberini in Rome in an exhibition titled “Caravaggio, the Unveiled Portrait.” The painting was loaned for the occasion by a private collector. The work was not recently discovered, rather it has been known since the 1960s but has so far been seen only by a small group of specialists.
In the painting, the subject is portrayed at the age of 30 dressed in a somber dark green cassock habit and a black headdress, while, with an impatient gaze he points to something in a gesture that seems to go beyond the canvas. Also noticeable in the painting is a scroll, probably containing documents, leaning against the chair.
“It is the Caravaggio painting that everyone has wanted to see for years. It has never been exhibited, loaned out, or shown. Caravaggio’s portraits are very rare, some have been lost and others have never been tracked down,” points out the director of the National Galleries of Ancient Art, Thomas Clement Salomon, curator of the exhibition along with Paola Nicita.
Salomon argues that once the work is on display, it can not only be admired but also better analyzed in its details in order to learn more about it and deepen its meaning and “history.” Regarding this, the director of the National Galleries emphasizes, “Beyond the wonder, the exhibition is also an opportunity to unravel some ‘knots.’ First of all regarding the dating and provenance.”
