A painting that had been up for auction for just 1,500 euros (£1,285) has been confirmed to be a lost work by Italian master Michaelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.
SpainThe Prado Museum says the work titled Ecce Homo, which means behold man in Latin, was due to be auctioned in April 2021 as a painting by 17th-century Spanish artist José de Ribera.
But before it could be auctioned at a Madrid auction house, Spanish authorities imposed an export ban on the painting after the museum alerted the government that it could be a Caravaggio.
The painting is one of 60 Caravaggio paintings known to exist, the museum said, and its true value could be in the tens of millions of euros.
It dates from 1605-09 and is believed to have once been part of the private collection of Spanish King Philip IV of Spain, the Prado added, and will be on display from May 27 to October.
“For our part, we are more than happy to be on stage to present to the public and critics this new, unpublished work by Caravaggio,” said the director of the Prado Museum, Miguel Falomir.
He added that since the 19th century it had been in the hands of a family from Madrid, who recently sold it to an individual who wanted to exhibit it in the Prado Museum and has not been identified.
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The oil on canvas work, which measures 111 by 86 cm, represents the biblical passage of Ecce Homo, in which Jesus Christ is presented to the crowd before being crucified.
Although it is now privately owned, the painting will not be allowed to leave Spain without government permission.
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The Prado said the work has been in the custody of the Colnaghi art gallery since April 2021.
The painting was restored by specialist Andrea Cipriani and his team under the supervision of experts from the Community of Madrid.