Antonello da Messina’s Ecce Homo: world preview in Rome

Antonello da Messina’s Ecce Homo: world preview in Rome

A small panel attributed to Antonello da Messina, dated around 1465, will be shown in a world preview in Rome. The work, acquired by the Italian state following a sale in New York, will be on view for ten days in the Sala Capitolare of Palazzo della Minerva, home to the Senate Library.

• Location: Sala Capitolare, Palazzo della Minerva – Senate Library (Rome)
• Dates: 27 March – 7 April 2026
• Admission: free
• Provenance: acquired at auction in New York
• Permanent destination: MUNDA – National Museum of Abruzzo, L'Aquila

On the panel’s recto is the depiction of the Ecce Homo, while the verso shows a penitent Saint Jerome set in a Northern-influenced landscape. Its size and format point to private devotional use, and scholars date the piece to the mid-1460s.

Conservation traces include light abrasions on the painted surface, interpreted by specialists as evidence of devotional veneration. The painting was brought back into scholarly attention by Federico Zeri in 1981. After several changes of ownership between galleries and collectors, it was recently acquired by the Italian state.

Following the Rome preview, the panel will move to its permanent home at MUNDA in L'Aquila, Italy's 2026 City of Culture, and will later tour other national museums. A loan request has already been received for a major Antonello da Messina exhibition scheduled at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid in 2028.

Visitor information: admission to the preview is free; visitors should check opening hours and access conditions with the Senate Library before planning their visit.