aceAI analysis finds £71,000 painting dismissed as copy is a Caravaggio
Abstract: He is one of the most revered artists in western art, yet just a few dozen works by Caravaggio have survived. Now the 17th-century master’s hand has been confirmed in a painting that Sotheby’s and the Metropolitan Museum in New York had dismissed as a mere copy. Scientific analysis of The Lute Player, which was bought for Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the 18th century, has concluded that it is by Caravaggio, with a probability of 85.7%. Tests involving artificial intelligence showed a “strong match” with…
On 27 September 2025, The Guardian reported that scientific analysis by Art Recognition using artificial intelligence concluded that The Lute Player at Badminton House is by Caravaggio with 85.7% probability, showing a strong match to verified works. The painting had previously been sold as after Caravaggio and circle of Caravaggio.
The finding matters because only a few dozen Caravaggios survive and a 2019 discovery was valued around 396m, so reattribution changes art-historical understanding and market value. Uncertainty remains because the result is probabilistic and contradicts longstanding expert opinions that favored the Wildenstein version, which the AI analysis found not authentic.
- Art Recognition, a Swiss specialist collaborating with Liverpool University, conducted the AI analysis.
- The Badminton Lute Player was sold by Sotheby's in 1969 as a copy for 3750 and in 2001 as circle of Caravaggio for about 371,000.
- The study also returned a negative result for the Wildenstein version previously displayed at the Met from 1990 to 2013.
AI-based authentication concluded the Badminton House version of The Lute Player is by Caravaggio, reversing prior dismissals as a copy.
The rundown
The painting was bought for Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the 18th century and was described by Giovanni Baglione in 1642 with details like reflection on dew drops on flowers. Owner Clovis Whitfield argued it corresponded exactly to that description.
Sotheby's and the Metropolitan Museum had dismissed it, with Keith Christiansen in 1990 calling the Wildenstein version an original and the Badminton one a copy, and writing in 2007 that no modern scholar would entertain Caravaggio authorship for the Badminton painting.
Supporting evidence cited includes lute depiction: lute maker David Van Edwards said the Wildenstein instrument had many faults unlike those in the Badminton and Hermitage paintings, and Art Recognition head Dr Carina Popovici said Everything over 80% is very high.
Sources
- JournalismThe Guardian2025-09-27
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