Rare Caravaggio portrait goes on show for the first time in Rome

The never-before-seen portrait by celebrated Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio went on public display for the first time at Rome’s Palazzo Barberini gallery.

A portrait by the Baroque master Caravaggio, held in a private collection for over 60 years, went on display to the public for the first time at the gallery – part of the National Gallery of Ancient Art  – in Rome on Saturday (23 November).
First attributed to Caravaggio in 1963, the portrait depicts Monsignor Maffeo Barberini, who would later become Pope Urban VIII in the 17th century. Urban was a major patron of the arts, commissioning works from the likes of sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. 
The painting, on view until 23 February 2025, dates from the turn of the 17th century. It is showcased as part of an exhibition curated by gallery director Thomas Clement Salomon and art historian Paola Nicita, and is thought to have been part of the Barberini family’s collection for centuries before it passed into private ownership in the mid-1930s. 
In 1963, the acclaimed art critic Roberto Longhi confirmed the painting as a work by Caravaggio, who completed only a few portraits before his death at the age of 38 in 1610.  Caravaggio was particularly renowned for his mastery of chiaroscuro, the technique of using light and shadow to bring his subjects to life.
Da oggi fino al 23 febbraio 2025, le Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica ospitano un evento straordinario: nella Sala Paesaggi di Palazzo Barberini sarà esposto il “Ritratto di monsignor Maffeo Barberini”, un dipinto di Caravaggio proveniente da una collezione privata e mai precedentemente mostrato al pubblico. Si tratta di un prestito storico di grande valore.L’opera, presentata per la prima volta da Roberto Longhi nell’articolo Il vero “Maffeo Barberini” del Caravaggio, pubblicato nel 1963 sulla rivista Paragone, è stata indicata dallo studioso come un elemento fondamentale per comprendere la ritrattistica di Caravaggio.Questo prestito eccezionale rappresenta un’occasione irripetibile per il pubblico e per gli esperti del settore di ammirare un’opera mai esposta prima, che continua a far parte della collezione privata a cui appartiene da decenni. Caravaggio. Il ritratto svelatoa cura di Thomas Clement Salomon e Paola Nicita 23 novembre 2024 – 23 febbraio 2025-The Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica host an extraordinary event from today to February 23, 2025: the “Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini”, a painting by Caravaggio from a private collection that has never previously been on display to the public, will be exhibited in the Sala Paesaggi of Palazzo Barberini. This is a historical loan of the utmost value. The work, first presented by Roberto Longhi in his article Il vero ‘Maffeo Barberini’ di Caravaggio published in 1963 in the journal Paragone, was referred to by this leading scholar as a fundamental key to understanding Caravaggio’s portrait painting.This exceptional loan offers a unique opportunity for the public and experts to admire a work that has never previously been exhibited and is still part of the private collection it has belonged to for decades.Caravaggio. The portrait unveiledcurated by Thomas Clement Salomon and Paola Nicita November 23, 2024 – February 23, 2025Ministero della Cultura
“It is not a rediscovered painting, it has been known about since the 1960s, but since then it had only been seen by five or six specialists,” Nicita told Italian news agency ANSA, “Not to mention that portraits of Caravaggio are extremely rare, some have been lost, others have never been traced.”
Caravaggio. The Portrait Unveiledruns at the National Gallery of Ancient Art in Rome until 23 February 2025.