Marquis de Sade text named French treasure, auction canceled

An original manuscript for the Marquis de Sade's "The 120 Days of Sodom" has been withdrawn from a Paris auction after the French government declared it a "national treasure" and banned its export.

FILE - This Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017 file photo shows the original manuscript of "The 120 Days of Sodom or the School of Libertinage," a scandalous and pornographic novel written by French writer Marquis de Sade while jailed in the Bastille prison. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

Auction house Aguttes said Tuesday the French culture ministry has granted the most valuable lots in the auction the rare treasure classification and proposed buying them.

FILE - This Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017 file photo shows the original manuscript of "The 120 Days of Sodom or the School of Libertinage," a scandalous and pornographic novel written by French writer Marquis de Sade while jailed in the Bastille prison.(AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

The original manuscript of "The 120 Days of Sodom or the School of Libertinage," by French writer Marquis de Sade is on display prior to the auction of the Aristophil Collections, in Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Following the ministry's decision, a court receiver allowed Aguttes to withdraw the top lots from Wednesday's auction and to negotiate their eventual sales directly with the government.

The original manuscript of "The 120 Days of Sodom or the School of Libertinage," by French writer Marquis de Sade is on display prior to the auction of the Aristophil Collections, in Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017.(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

The original manuscript of "The 120 Days of Sodom or the School of Libertinage," by French writer Marquis de Sade is on display prior to the auction of the Aristophil Collections, in Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017.  (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

In addition to the Sade's 1785 explicit text, the withdrawn lots include the 1924 manuscript for the first "Surrealist Manifesto" by French writer Andre Breton. The lots had a combined value estimated in the multimillion-dollar range.

The original manuscript of "The 120 Days of Sodom or the School of Libertinage," by French writer Marquis de Sade is on display prior to the auction of the Aristophil Collections, in Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

The original manuscript of "Manifeste du Surrealisme," by French writer Andre Breton is on display prior to the auction of the Aristophil Collections, in Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

De Sade is known for his libertine writings on sex.

Original manuscripts by French writer Andre Breton are on display prior to the auction of the Aristophil Collections, in Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017.  (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

MADRID (AP) — A painting whose auction in Spain was halted in 2021 on suspicion that it might be a Caravaggio has been confirmed as a work by the Italian Baroque master, Spain’s Prado Museum announced Monday.

The painting, once considered to have been lost, will be unveiled to the public for the first time in the museum later this month.

The Prado said in a statement the work titled “Ecce Homo” (Latin for Behold The Man) by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio will go on display from May 27 until October as a special one-piece exhibition following an agreement with its new owner, who has not been identified.

After October, the work will be be moved to the Prado’s permanent collection for a further four months.

“Since its reappearance at an auction three years ago, Ecce Homo has represented one of the greatest discoveries in the history of art,” the museum said.

"Painted by the great Italian artist around 1605-09 and believed to have once been part of the private collection of Phillip IV of Spain, the painting is one of around only 60 known works by Caravaggio in existence, and thus one of the most valuable old master artworks in the world," the Prado added.

In April 2021, Spanish authorities halted an auction of the work, which was then attributed to a disciple of a 17th-century Spanish painter, José de Ribera. They also put an export ban on it after the museum alerted the government it could be a Caravaggio.

The painting was due to be auctioned with a starting price tag of 1,500 euros ($1,600). The value of an authentic Caravaggio would stretch into tens of millions of euros (dollars), if not more.

Prado Museum Director Miguel Falomir said that since then the owners carried out studies and proceeded with the painting's restoration, which led to the discovery “that it is, in fact, a work by Caravaggio and a work that arrived in Spain in the 17th century.”

The painting is not allowed to leave Spain without government permission.

Falomir said it had been in the hands of a family in Madrid since the 19th century. The family was allowed to sell it privately earlier this year following an agreement with the Madrid regional government. The new owner wanted the public presentation of the piece to take place in the Prado Museum.

“For our part, we are more than happy to be the stage to present this new unshown work of Caravaggio to the public and critics,” Falomir said in a video statement released by the museum.

The oil-on-canvas work depicts the Biblical passage of the Ecce Homo, in which Jesus Christ is presented to the crowds before being crucified. The work measures 111 by 86 centimeters (44 by 34 inches). The painting was known as early as the 1600s, but experts later lost track of it.

The Prado said four of the most authoritative experts on Caravaggio and Baroque painting “all share the same passionate certainty: that Ecce Homo is a masterpiece by the Italian artist.”

One of the experts, Maria Cristina Terzaghi, was quoted as saying, “The speed of consensus around the work being a Caravaggio upon its rediscovery was absolutely unprecedented in the critical history of the painter, on whom scholars have rarely agreed, at least in the last forty years."

The Prado said that since April 2021, the work has been under the custodianship of the Colnaghi art gallery in collaboration with experts. The painting was restored by specialist Andrea Cipriani and his team under the supervision of experts from the Madrid regional government.

“In the last hundred years, no artist more than Caravaggio, with his adventurous biography and unmistakable style, has fascinated audiences of all ages and engaged scholars from halfway around the world. This work therefore presents one of the greatest discoveries in the history of art," said Jorge Coll, CEO of Colnaghi, which co-signed the press release.

In this photo provided by the Prado Museum in Madrid on Monday May 6, 2024, Caravaggio's "Ecce Homo" is pictured. Spain's Prado Museum has confirmed that a painting that was due to be auctioned in Madrid in 2021 is in fact a work by Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio that was considered lost. (Prado Museum, via AP)

This combination of photos provided by the Prado Museum on Monday May 6, 2024 shows the restoration work on Caravaggio's "Ecce Homo". Spain's Prado Museum has confirmed that a painting that was due to be auctioned in Madrid in 2021 is in fact a work by Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio that was considered lost. (Prado Museum, via AP)