ROME (AP) — Italy has bought a rare portrait by baroque painter Caravaggio for 30 million euros (about $35 million), one of the largest state investments ever for a single artwork, the country’s Culture Ministry said Tuesday.
The portrait, painted around 1598 and attributed to Caravaggio in 1963, depicts Maffeo Barberini, a nobleman who later became Pope Urban VIII.
The painting was acquired from a private collection by the Italian state after over a year of negotiations and will now enter Rome’s Palazzo Barberini permanent collection.
“This is a work of exceptional importance,” Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said in a statement, noting the painting was a turning point in Caravaggio’s modern rediscovery and its purchase has helped strengthen the presence of his works in Italian public collections.
The new acquisition follows a recent one of Antonello da Messina’s “Ecce Homo,” and is part of Italy’s broader project to strengthen the national cultural heritage, making some art history masterpieces accessible to scholars and the public.
The “Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini” depicts the future pope in his 30s, dressed as a cleric of the Apostolic Chamber, at a crucial moment in his rise to power.
The work was made famous by art critic Roberto Longhi in his 1963 article “The True ‘Maffeo Barberini’ of Caravaggio,” and has since been widely recognized by critics as a work by Caravaggio, also known as Michelangelo Merisi.
Longhi called the painting “one of the founding moments of modern portraiture," emphasizing how Caravaggio ushered in a new psychological intensity.
Caravaggio revolutionized painting at the turn of the 17th century by introducing a dramatic use of light that became the cornerstone of the Baroque style. He is currently one of the most studied artists in the world, yet the number of his confirmed works remains extremely limited.
At Palazzo Barberini, the portrait will be displayed alongside Caravaggio’s other works — one of the world’s most important collections — in particular along another of Caravaggio’s masterpieces, “Judith Slaying Holofernes,” also purchased by the Italian state in 1971.
This image released by the Italian Culture Ministry on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, shows the oil-on-canvas painting "Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini" by Italian Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (16th century). (Alessio Panunzi and Alberto Novelli/Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica, Ministero della Cultura via AP, HO)
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian police are investigating after the United States consulate in downtown Toronto was hit by gunfire early on Tuesday morning. Nobody was injured.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Superintendent Chris Leather called it a national security incident and said the national police force is working with Toronto police to understand the motive. Leather said the American and Israeli consulates, as well as embassies in Ottawa, will see an increase in security.
Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said two individuals emerged from a white Honda CRV SUV at around 4:30 a.m. and fired multiple shots at the building before fleeing.
“There were people inside the building. However, this building is highly secured and highly fortified and there were no injuries,” he said.
Barredo said both suspects were involved in the discharge of the firearm. He said there were shell casings as well as damage outside but said bullets did not penetrate the building.
“It is very secure. The glass and the walls are reinforced and so I don’t believe there was any penetration into the building. It’s quite possible that people in the building would not have even noticed," he said.
Police released a picture of the white SUV, but there was no further information about the suspects.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called it “an absolutely unacceptable act of violence and intimidation aimed at our American friends and neighbors," and he hinted at a possible link to the war in Iran.
“This is just me speaking. I believe that there are sleeper cells all over the world as we know. They are in the U.S, they are in Canada here. We have to weed these people out and hold them accountable,” Ford said.
“This is my personal opinion and I don't think I'm too far off with saying that. It's a different world now that we are facing with turmoil happening everywhere.”
Police said it’s too early to determine a motive
The shooting comes after two Toronto-area synagogues were struck by gunfire last weekend.
“This cannot stand. Toronto’s Jewish community has the right to practice their faith and culture and to live their day-to-day lives without fear, intimidation or violence,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said. “As we have seen too many times, antisemitic incidents spike when international incidents rise. It is never acceptable to target the Jewish community.”
Chow said there is a heavy police presence on Tuesday at both the U.S. and Israeli consulates in Toronto.
Toronto has a large Iranian community and the war in Iran has prompted demonstrations outside the U.S. consulate, both in support and in protest. The consulate is often the site of protests.
A bullet mark is shown in the door at the U.S. consulate in Toronto on Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn /The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto police investigate the scene after the U.S. consulate was hit by gunfire in Toronto on Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Forensic Toronto police officer photographs bullet impact marks at the front U.S. consulate in Toronto on Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Police vehicles are parked by the U.S. consulate after it was hit by gunfire in Toronto on Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn /The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto police investigate the scene after the U.S. consulate was hit by gunfire in Toronto on Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
