Italy buys a painting by Antonello da Messina in New York

11/2/26 - Acquisition - Italy - As is rare for the Italian state, it opened its purse to acquire a work offered for sale outside its borders; it must be said that paintings by Antonello da Messina are rare. This double-sided panel shows, on one side, the Ecce Homo, and on the other, Saint Jerome in penitence (ill. 1 and 2). It was scheduled to face the hammer at Sotheby’s in New York on 5 February, but it was ultimately withdrawn from the sale and an agreement was reached between its owner, the Italian government, and the auction house. The price was set at $14.9 million, or €12.5 million. This is a cause for celebration for Italian public collections, whose Ministry of Culture budget is relatively limited, and acquisitions are often restricted to the national territory, where prices…