Caravaggio. St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy

For the first time in Lithuania, visitors will have the opportunity to see The Ecstasy of Saint Mary Magdalene, a masterpiece by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610), one of the foremost painters of the Baroque era.

Caravaggio is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists in the history of Western art. Often considered the founder of Baroque painting, he ushered in a new artistic age not only in Italy but throughout Europe, transforming cultural thought, artistic expression, and the viewer’s relationship with art.

While still a young man, Caravaggio became both the most celebrated and the most controversial painter of his time. He frequently chose ordinary people as models, including the homeless and prostitutes. Gradually, the idealized figures of Renaissance painting were replaced by individuals marked by poverty, hardship, and physical and spiritual suffering—people whom Caravaggio believed best embodied the ideals of the saints. His works were highly sought after, and within a single decade he sparked a revolution in painting.

This international exhibition presents The Ecstasy of Saint Mary Magdalene, a painting long believed lost since the early 17th century. It is thought to be one of the works Caravaggio carried with him on his final journey to Rome, hoping to obtain a papal pardon from Pope Paul V after being sentenced to death for murder. However, the artist never reached Rome. Exhausted and ill, he died near Porto Ercole in 1610.

Of the three paintings Caravaggio reportedly carried on that journey as gifts for his patrons, two were considered lost. The painting exhibited here was rediscovered in 2014 in a private collection in Switzerland, where it had been passed down through generations without knowledge of its true authorship or significance. Leading Caravaggio scholars, Professor Mina Gregori and Professor Bert Treffers, identified it as an authentic work by the master and one of the paintings that disappeared during his final journey to Rome.

The discovery attracted enormous attention from art historians and the international cultural community. Following restoration, the painting was exhibited in numerous countries, including major exhibitions in Tokyo and New Delhi. It has now arrived in Vilnius.

This marks the first opportunity for audiences in Lithuania to experience an original work by this artistic genius. The exhibition forms part of a cultural programme organized by Italian institutions in Lithuania, coinciding with the Lithuanian Culture Season in Italy 2025–2026 and the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Italian Republic.

The project is organized by the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania Museum in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy in Lithuania, the Italian Cultural Institute in Vilnius, the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, and the association MetaMorfosi, an organization dedicated to the preservation and international promotion of Italy’s artistic heritage.