AI analysis confirms £71,000 painting is authentic Caravaggio masterpiece

Artificial intelligence has revolutionised art authentication by confirming that a painting dismissed by major institutions as a copy is actually an authentic work by 17th-century master Caravaggio. The Lute Player, purchased for just £71,000 in 2001, has been authenticated with an 85.7% probability using advanced AI analysis.

Context and Background

Art Recognition, a Swiss specialist firm collaborating with Liverpool University, conducted sophisticated AI testing that showed a “strong match” with verified Caravaggio paintings. Dr Carina Popovici, the company’s head, emphasised that “everything over 80% is very high” in terms of authentication confidence. The painting had been repeatedly dismissed by prestigious institutions including Sotheby’s and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, which sold it as a copy “after Caravaggio” for just £750 in 1969.

The authentication challenges traditional scholarly opinion that had relegated the work to Caravaggio’s “circle” rather than recognising it as an original. Art historian Clovis Whitfield, who purchased the painting in 2001, recognised its quality and correspondence with Giovanni Baglione’s 1642 Caravaggio biography, which described minutely observed details including “reflection on dew drops on the flowers.”

The AI analysis has also cast doubt on another version held in the Wildenstein collection, previously displayed at the Met, which the AI system returned as “not an authentic work.” This challenges decades of expert consensus and demonstrates how machine learning can provide objective analysis beyond subjective scholarly opinion.

Looking Forward

This breakthrough represents a significant advancement in combining traditional art historical methods with cutting-edge technology. The objective nature of AI analysis offers a counterbalance to subjective scholarly opinions that can become entrenched over time. As digital authentication methods become more sophisticated, they may fundamentally change how the art world approaches attribution and valuation.

The implications extend beyond individual discoveries to the broader cultural heritage sector, where AI could help identify authentic works amongst thousands of disputed attributions. With Caravaggio paintings commanding values approaching £100 million, accurate authentication has profound financial and cultural significance for museums, collectors, and the preservation of artistic legacy.

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