The Ministry of Culture has formalized the purchase of the famous painting by Caravaggio dedicated to Monsignor Maffeo Barberini, destined for the public collections of Palazzo Barberini.
How was the acquisition of Caravaggio’s masterpiece carried out?
At the Ministry of Culture, the notarial deed was signed that formalizes the purchase of the Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini by Caravaggio. Present were the Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli, the Director General of Museums Massimo Osanna, the Director of the National Galleries of Ancient Art in Rome Thomas Clement Salomon, and the notary Luca Amato.
Once the administrative procedures are completed, the painting will become part of the State’s heritage and will be definitively assigned to the National Galleries of Ancient Art, with a permanent placement in the collections of Palazzo Barberini.
Why is the purchase of the Portrait of Maffeo Barberini so significant?
«After more than a year of negotiations, we announce today the purchase by the Ministry of Culture of an extraordinary masterpiece by Caravaggio, the Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini», declared Alessandro Giuli. The minister recalled that the work, attributed to the Master by Roberto Longhi, is now offered for the full enjoyment of the public and the international scientific community.
Furthermore, Giuli linked this operation to the recent acquisition of the Ecce Homo by Antonello da Messina, as part of a broader project to strengthen the national cultural heritage. The stated goal is to make accessible to scholars and enthusiasts some masterpieces destined for the private market, avoiding the dispersion of works fundamental to the history of art.
What is the investment supported by the Italian State?
The acquisition was concluded for the sum of 30 million euros, at the end of a long negotiation. It is one of the most significant investments ever made by the Italian State for the purchase of a work of art, indicative of the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening public collections with works of absolute historical-artistic importance.
During the negotiation phases, thanks to an agreement with the owners, the painting was exhibited to the public in the halls of Palazzo Barberini starting from November 2024 and until the closure of the great exhibition CARAVAGGIO 2025, visited by over 450,000 people. On that occasion, Italian and international critics unanimously confirmed the attribution to Caravaggio, highlighting the exceptional nature of the painting.
Who is the character portrayed by Caravaggio?
The Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini depicts the future pope Urban VIII (1568–1644) around the age of thirty, in the attire of a cleric of the Apostolic Camera, at a crucial moment in his rise to power. The work was made known by Roberto Longhi in the article «The true Maffeo Barberini by Caravaggio», published in the magazine Paragone in 1963, and since then it has been widely recognized by critics as autograph of Merisi.
Longhi identified in this painting one of the founding moments of modern portraiture. In particular, he highlighted how Caravaggio inaugurated here a new psychological intensity and an ability to convey the living presence of the subject without resorting to rhetorical or celebratory elements.
How rare is an autograph portrait by Caravaggio?
Within the limited corpus of works attributed with certainty to Caravaggio — about sixty-five paintings worldwide — portraits constitute an extremely rare typology. Only three examples are known and unanimously accepted.
The Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini therefore represents an exceptional testimony of the Master’s portraiture and a key piece for understanding the evolution of his pictorial language between the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Compared to other more narrative works, here the psychological concentration emerges strongly.
What is the scientific and political value of this acquisition?
Caravaggio is today one of the most studied and admired artists globally, but the number of works with secure attribution remains very limited, and the appearance on the market of paintings referable to him is a very rare event. For this reason, the entry of the Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini into the Italian public collections has a very high significance both on the scientific level and on that of cultural policies.
Moreover, the operation ensures the acquisition of a masterpiece into the national heritage, expanding the possibilities of study, knowledge, and enjoyment of Caravaggio’s work. In contrast to a purely commercial logic, the State’s choice aims to consolidate the role of public museums as custodians of the great masters.
What does it mean for Palazzo Barberini and the National Galleries?
The purchase assumes a particular symbolic value for the National Galleries of Ancient Art. At Palazzo Barberini, the portrait will be able to dialogue with other paintings by Caravaggio and with one of the most important collections of Caravaggesque works in the world, offering new exhibition paths and direct comparisons between originals and followers.
In particular, the canvas will be placed alongside another masterpiece by Merisi, the Judith Beheading Holofernes, purchased by the Italian State in 1971. That operation marked a decisive moment in the modern rediscovery of the painter and contributed to strengthening the presence of his works in national public collections.
How does this operation fit into Italian museum policy?
More than fifty years after the purchase of Judith Beheading Holofernes, the entry of the Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini represents a new stage in the Italian strategies of expanding public heritage and strengthening the museum system. Moreover, the acquisition confirms an institutional action line oriented towards active protection, intervening in the market to retain works of primary importance in the country.
Overall, this choice offers new opportunities for the enhancement of the work of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, strengthens the role of Rome as a center of study on the seventeenth century, and consolidates the international prestige of the National Galleries of Ancient Art. The date of the communiqué, March 10, 2026, thus marks a significant step in Italian cultural policies.
IMAGE: Media related to Portrait of Maffeo Barberini by Caravaggio at Wikimedia Commons
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