The exhibition “Caravaggio and Connoisseurship” invites visitors to assess attributions to the famous Baroque painter. Two versions of St. Francis in Meditation, one belonging to Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini in Rome and the other to the Museo Civico, Carpineto Romano, have puzzled experts for generations as to which is the original, autograph work by Caravaggio. The exhibition, on view at the MFA Boston through 15 June, also raises the possibility that they are both be by the master. Caravaggio’s Fortune Teller (1594, Captioline Museum, Rome), will also be on view.
Organized by The Muscarelle Museum of Art in Williamsburg, the exhibition invites viewers to vote on which work they believe to be real or if Carravagio painted them both. During its run in Virginia, the Carpineto picture has earned around 40% of the vote. In Boston, visitors can tweet their vote with the hashtag #truecaravaggio.
St. Francis in Meditation, from the Capuchins church in Rome, left, and the Museo Civico, Carpineto Romano, right
Fortune Teller, Capitoline Museum, Rome