Francesca Cappelletti (born 1964) is an Italian art history professor known for verifying the authenticity of the

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

painting '' The Taking of Christ'' with Laura Testa while they were students at the University of Rome.

Education

Cappelletti graduated from the University of Rome and studied at the

Warburg Institute The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of cultural history and the role of images in culture – cros ...

in London and the

Collège de France The (), formerly known as the or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment () in France. It is located in Paris near La Sorbonne. The has been considered to be France's most ...

in Paris. She is a Professor of Art History at the

University of Ferrara The University of Ferrara () is the main university of the city of Ferrara in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. In the years prior to the First World War the University of Ferrara, with more than 500 students, was the best attended of ...

Career

Cappelletti, along with Laura Testa, found the first recorded mention of ''The Taking of Christ'' in an ancient and decaying account book documenting the original commission and payments to Caravaggio, in the archives of the

Mattei family The House of Mattei was one of the most powerful noble families of Rome during the Middle Ages and early modern era, holding high positions in the papal curia and government office. The family amassed significant art collections under art enthusia ...

, kept in the cellar of a palazzo in the small town of

Recanati Recanati () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Macerata, in the Italian region of Marche. Recanati was founded around 1150 AD from three pre-existing castles. In 1290 it proclaimed itself an independent republic and, in the 15th c ...

, an archive that is no longer accessible to the public. Testa and Cappelletti were working on a hunch by Caravaggio scholar

Roberto Longhi Roberto Longhi (28 December 1890 – 3 June 1970) was an Italian academic, art historian, and curator. The main subjects of his studies were the painters Caravaggio and Piero della Francesca. Early life and career Longhi was born in December 1 ...

that a painting attributed to

Gerard van Honthorst Gerard van Honthorst (Dutch: ''Gerrit van Honthorst''; 4 November 1592 – 27 April 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painting, Dutch Golden Age painter who became known for his depiction of artificially lit scenes, eventually receiving the nickn ...

might, in fact, be by Caravaggio. Cappelletti discovered a 1972 history of the

National Gallery of Scotland The National (formerly the Scottish National Gallery) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by William Henry Playfa ...

's collection which discussed a bequest of 28 paintings purchased from the

William Hamilton Nisbet William Hamilton Nisbet (1747 – 17 July 1822) was a British politician. He was the eldest son of William Nisbet of Archerfield House, Dirleton and his wife Mary, the daughter and heiress of Alexander Hamilton of Pencaitland, Haddington a ...

, implying that the painting might be in the United Kingdom. The painting was discovered in a Jesuit community residence in the early 1990s by Sergio Benedetti and is on indefinite loan to the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland () houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on Clare Street, Dublin, Clare Street. It ...

. Cappelletti published the results of her research first in the Italian publication ''Arte e Dossier'' and then in ''

The Burlington Magazine ''The Burlington Magazine'' is a monthly publication that covers the fine and decorative arts of all periods. Established in 1903, it is the longest running art journal in the English language. It has been published by a charitable organisation s ...

'' in 1993. The discovery of the painting and the research leading up to it became the subject of the book '' The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece'' by

Jonathan Harr Jonathan Harr is an American writer, best known for the nonfiction work'' A Civil Action''. Early life and education Jonathan Ensor Harr was born 13 September 1948, in Beloit, Wisconsin, the son of John Ensor Harr (1 August 1926–14 November 200 ...

. In it, Cappelletti is described as "a free woman within the lingering, and dwindling, constraints of a profession largely dominated by men."

Bibliography

* ''Caravaggio and the Painters of the North'' (2017) * ''Les Bas-fonds du baroque: La Rome du vice et de la misère'' (2014) * ''Zurbarán'' (2014) * ''Nuova guida alla Galleria Doria Pamphilj'' (1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cappelletti, Francesca Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Sapienza University of Rome alumni Italian art historians Italian women art historians 1964 births