Reed NewsReed News

Researcher Claims Roman Bust of Christ Is by Michelangelo

Arts & entertainmentArts
Key Points
  • An independent researcher claims a Roman bust of Christ is by Michelangelo, announced at a press conference.
  • The claim has sparked debate but lacks official evaluation, with authorities protecting the artwork regardless.
  • Next steps involve potential scholarly review as the specific evidence remains unclear and unverified.

Valentina Salerno announced the first 'rediscovery' at a press conference Wednesday. According to Salerno, she has located another work by Michelangelo — a bust of Christ in the Basilica of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura, listed by Italy's culture ministry as anonymous from the Roman school of the 16th century. Salerno suggests that several documents in the first few hundred years after Michelangelo's death correctly attribute the work to the artist but that in 1984 a scholar debunked it.

The specific documentary evidence Salerno has to support her attribution remains unclear. The culture ministry was invited to participate in Salerno's press conference and didn't, according to Rev. Franco Bergamin.

The Carabinieri's art squad refused to weigh in on the authenticity of the statue, but said it was being protected and a laminated sign now graces the sculpture: 'Alarm armed'. Lt. Col.

edu, a non-peer reviewed social networking site academics use. In 1996, Michelangelo expert William Wallace wrote an article in ArtNews about the well-documented history of wrongly attributing works to Michelangelo. ' No leading Renaissance scholar or institution has officially evaluated Salerno's claims.

The Carabinieri art squad confirmed the bust is under protection.

Tags
Location
Corroborated
The Independent - MainThe Guardian - Main UK
2 publications · 3 sources
View transparency reportReport inaccuracy
Researcher Claims Roman Bust of Christ Is by Michelangelo | Reed News