famous masterpiece by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio) «Lyutnist», held in the Hermitage collection, for a few days back in Italy. In spring of next year in memory of 400-year anniversary of the death of the great masters of Baroque painting will be exhibited at the heart of «The Hermitage-Italy» in Ferrara. This event will be held in conjunction with the presentation of the catalog of Italian painting of the XVI century from the collection of the Hermitage, which will decorate the cover of «Lyutnist».

«This is not fair in the traditional sense. This will be the presentation of a unified study of painting XVI century by the Russian and Italian specialists », - noted the director of the center« The Hermitage-Italy »Pier Giorgio Dall'Akva (Pier Giorgio Dall'Acqua).

Caravaggio created several versions of «Lyutnista». One of them is stored in the New York Metropolitan Museum and the other - in the estate, Badminton House in Glostershire (United Kingdom). In 2001, in a private collection in Berlin, has been found yet another version of this picture, but its authorship is still in question.

Scientists are still arguing about who wrote the image of Caravaggio lyutnista. Some believe that it was his friend and perhaps lover - the painter of Syracuse Mario Minniti (Mario Minniti). Others believe that the canvas shows Spanish singer-castrate Montoya, Pedro (Pedro Montoya).

material produced Catherine Onuchin, AI

Sources: ansa.it , artinvestment.ru