Lost Caravaggio Masterpiece Identified in Monaco Symposium

The 75-by-61 cm oil painting, long held in private hands, underwent rigorous scrutiny including hyperspectral imaging, X-ray analysis, and electron scanning microscopy. These tests uncovered evidence of an earlier composition depicting Philip de Wignacourt, which was later repurposed into the Archimedes portrait. Experts believe this transformation was prompted by Caravaggio’s 1608 meeting with Sicilian scholar Vincenzo Mirabella, whose interest in the mathematician’s work aligned with the artist’s own preoccupation with optics and light.

Dr. Roberta Lapucci and her team confirmed that the piece was finalized by Mario Minniti, Caravaggio’s close collaborator and friend, during the master’s flight from a death sentence in Malta. The presence of unique workshop markings and the integration of the Medusa-on-a-shield motif within the underlying layers provided the breakthrough needed to bypass long-standing market skepticism. By documenting the painting's transition from a portrait of a nobleman to a tribute to science, the research consortium has effectively forced a re-evaluation of the artist's late-career output.