'Lost Michelangelo' Found on Oxford Wall

Italian expert spots unknown masterpiece in Jesuit residence
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 12, 2011 2:37 AM CDT
'Lost Michelangelo' Found on Oxford Wall
The work, titled "Crucifixion With The Madonna, St John And Two Mourning Angels," has been sent to a museum for safekeeping.   (Oxford University)

A previously unknown painting by Michelangelo has been hanging on the wall of an Oxford University residence for Jesuit scholars since the 1930s, a respected Italian expert claims. Infrared technology has revealed that the painting at Campion Hall, previously believed to have been the work of Michelangelo's lesser-known contemporary Marcello Venusti, was likely painted by Michelangelo himself, says Antonio Forcellino.

The painting, bought at an auction in the 1930s, has been removed from the residence and sent to a museum for safekeeping. "It's a very beautiful piece, but far too valuable to have on our wall any more," the master of Campion Hall tells the BBC. "Its value in the three years I've been master has gone up tenfold, even if it's not by Michelangelo. No doubt the art historians will argue the points to and fro." (More Michelangelo stories.)

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