The National Gallery of Ireland has firmly rejected claims that one of its most prized exhibits, Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ, is not the original painting.
Mr Raymond Keaveney, gallery director, said the gallery had spent three years authenticating the painting after it was discovered by its head curator, Mr Sergio Benedetti, in 1990.
Mr Keaveney said all the top Caravaggio scholars were present when the painting by the Italian master was unveiled in Dublin "and nobody raised an eyebrow".
In addition, Mr Benedetti published his findings in the Burlington Magazine - "the bible of the art world" - in 1993 and his findings were never questioned.
He was responding to an Irish Independent report which claimed that an Italian art expert had "cast-iron proof" that a painting in Rome was the original version of The Taking of Christ, painted in 1602.
Ms Maria Letizia Paoletti was quoted as saying that specialists would now have to reconsider how to place the Dublin painting.
However, speaking on RTÉ yesterday, Mr Benedetti said he was certain that the painting in Rome, owned by an art dealer, was not by Caravaggio. "And I'm not the only one to say that," he said.
Some commentators were suggesting that Caravaggio may have repeated the painting "but in this case the quality of the painting in Rome is so weak that it is very difficult to accept as an original work by Caravaggio," Mr Benedetti said.
If both pictures were placed together the difference in quality would be obvious, Mr Benedetti said.He said had encouraged the owner of the other painting to exhibit his picture side by side with the Dublin one in a Milan exhibition next November but he had refused.
Mr Benedetti said he was confident the Rome painting would be forgotten about in a few months.
The Dublin painting was missing for 200 years and was discovered hanging on a wall in the Jesuit House in Dublin.
