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Michelangelo Masterpiece or Master Hoax?
8 Mar
Summary
- Collectors bought a Pietà painting for $35,000, hoping it was Michelangelo.
- Experts doubt a new painting and bust are truly by the Renaissance master.
- Attributions of major artists' works can yield immense profits.
A centuries-old painting, "Spirituali Pietà," and a marble bust are at the center of a debate regarding potential new works by Michelangelo. Two Brussels collectors acquired the painting for about $35,000, suspecting it was a lost masterpiece.
Art historian Michel Draguet suggested the painting could be by Michelangelo, citing possible monograms and an "unorthodox representation." However, prominent Michelangelo scholars, including Francesco Caglioti and Matthias Wivel, strongly dispute these attributions.
Caglioti criticized the "Dan Brown approach" to art history, emphasizing that attributions require decades of study. Wivel noted the painting is "Michelangeloesque" but typical of artists influenced by him, not a direct work.
Similarly, the marble bust, previously anonymous, is deemed unlikely to be by Michelangelo by experts, with one suggesting it appears to be from the 17th century.
Technical analysis of the painting, including pigment testing, placed its creation between 1520 and 1660. However, the lack of provenance and the unusual style lead most experts to dismiss the claims.
While new discoveries can lead to significant profits, as seen with a recently sold Michelangelo sketch fetching $27.2 million, the academic consensus is that these latest claims are unsubstantiated.
