Plundered art turns up in French attic — 400 years later
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Fine art underwriters and homeowners insurers will be wringing their hands at the news that a French family recently discovered a long-lost work by Caravaggio in their attic.
A family living outside of Toulouse, in southwestern France, discovered the more than 400-year-old artwork while examining a leaky roof.
The painting, “Judith Beheading Holofernes,” is thought to have been painted by Caravaggio — real name Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio — between 1604 and 1605, the Telegraph reported.
It was believed to have gone missing about 400 years ago, and the family that discovered it thinks the work must have been brought back by an ancestor who served abroad in Napoleon's army.
Experts say the painting likely is genuine since it displays the spontaneous brushstrokes, known as “alla brava,” distinctive of Caravaggio, who did not sketch, and since the painter made some corrections to hands in the painting, something a copier would not do.
With rewards of up to $5 million on offer for the return of lost works by artists including Caravaggio, Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse and Monet, it might just be worth checking your attic.
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