The Toulouse Judith attributed to Caravaggio has been purchased by a private individual. Who will lend it to a major museum

The Judith Beheading Holofernes, known as the Toulouse Judith, a work discovered in 2014 (in Toulouse, precisely) and attributed to Caravaggio (Milan, 1571 - Porto Ercole, 1610), has just been purchased from a private individual, despite the many doubts and skepticism of several scholars who are experts on Caravaggio (those in favor include Nicola Spinosa and Ã?ric Turquin, the latter one of the discoverers of the painting, while those against include Mina Gregori, Gianni Papi, Giovanna Sapori, and Alessandro Zuccari). Skeptics are convinced that it is a work by Louis Finson (Bruges, 1580 - Amsterdam, 1617), a Flemish painter very close to the Lombard master.

Turquin, who has built a massive media campaign around the work, announced last night that Judith will no longer go to auction on Thursday as initially budgeted because a buyer has come forward. “We received an offer that could not be passed on to the owners of the work,” the scholar told the daily Le Figaro. “The fact that the offer came from a collector close to a major museum convinced the sellers to accept it.”

The transaction has thus been confirmed, but on the price, Turquin stressed, there is strict confidentiality: “I have signed a confidential agreement with the owners. The buyer is a private collector who, however, will certainly lend the work to a major international museum.” Turquin had estimated the work to be worth between 100 and 150 million euros, but the many doubts around the painting in January had led the French state (which could assert its right of first refusal) to back out of negotiations, letting the work end up on the market. Thus, in the end it was a private individual who won the disputed painting.

Image: Attributed to Caravaggio or Louis Finson, Judith and Holofernes (1606-1607; oil on canvas, 144 x 173.5 cm; Toulouse, Private Collection)

The Toulouse Judith attributed to Caravaggio has been purchased by a private individual. Who will lend it to a major museum

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.