29/10/2001

Denis Mahon, a leading Italian Baroque scholar, is reported to have discovered Annibale Caracci’s Saint John the Baptist. Mahon states that Annibale Carracci painted the work during the last three years of his life, (between 1607 and 1609), when he was already seriously ill. The painting almost certainly remained in the Roman palace of Cardinal Flavio Chigi until 1692, but after this date all traces of it were lost for three centuries. The discovery was made in the home of an anonymous Parisian antique dealer about twenty years ago and has only now been made public, with an estimated value of $ 3 million (€ 3.35). Interested buyers include the Pinacoteca Capitolina that has began looking for a sponsor for the purchase. The painting will be exhibited until the 3rd of February in one of the rooms of Palazzo Clementino (Musei Capitolina) Rome. (http://www.museicapitolini.org/index1.htm). (Dorian Cara)