Domenichino painting attribution to be discussed at Rome's Chamber of Deputies

A conference will be held at the Camera dei Deputati in Rome on September 9 to discuss the attribution of an ‘Ecce Homo’ painting to the 17th-century Italian master Domenichino (Domenico Zampieri).

The artwork, currently held at the Museo Diocesano di Melfi, was identified as a work by Domenichino following three months of intensive study and stylistic comparison led by art critic Mauro Di Ruvo. Dated between 1639 and 1640, the painting represents the final creative phase of the artist’s life before his death in Naples in 1641.

Experts will examine the painting’s authorship, dating, and conservation state. Di Ruvo suggests that the work’s muted colors and less defined forms may reflect both the artist’s declining physical health and the effects of historical restorations. If confirmed, this would be the only known painting by Domenichino dedicated to this specific iconographic subject.