Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli announced that, through the General Directorate of Museums, the state has acquired from Sotheby’s, a well-known international auction house active in the art market, Antonello da Messina’s tempera painting on panel, valued at $14.9 million, about 12.6 million euros.
It is a small panel painted on both sides. One side depicts an Ecce Homo, in which Christ appears crowned with thorns, while the other side depicts a penitent Saint Jerome, set in a rocky and rugged landscape. The double depiction, together with the small size of the panel, suggests an original purpose related to private devotion, functional for individual or family worship practices. Traces of use visible on the work confirm the painting’s long history as a devotional object.
"The Ministry of Culture confirms the acquisition of the painting Ecce Homo by Antonello da Messina, which was leaked by newspaper rumors and confirmed by the auction house Sotheby’s,“ said Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli. ”It is an operation of the highest cultural level: we waited a few days in communicating it out of respect for the authorities in charge of registering the purchase contract. The work represents a unicum in the artistic panorama of the Italian Quattrocento, a fundamental point in the strategy of expansion and enhancement of our cultural heritage, to be made available to Italian citizens and visitors from all over the world."
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| State purchased Antonello da Messina's Ecce Homo for $14.9 million |
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