Attribution
Painting attributed to Caravaggio sold privately before auction
The Toulouse Judith and Holofernes sold privately in June 2019 before its planned auction. Checked against Le Monde and Artsy. Attribution to Caravaggio was disputed.
Documented dossier
Caravaggio
This dossier follows works linked to Caravaggio through sales, court disputes and restitution. It covers the private sale of the Toulouse Judith and Holofernes, the negligence claim against Sotheby’s over a version of The Cardsharps, and the handover to Ukraine of a painting attributed to Caravaggio. Each report identifies the work and describes the attribution and the outcome as reported by its sources.
Archive updated ·
3 reports · Source dates: 30 Aug 2010 — 27 Jun 2019
Attribution 1Legal disputes 1Restitution reports 1
Each entry reflects its source on the stated date. A historical theft report does not mean a work remains missing. Attributions, allegations and decisions remain distinct; this dossier does not authenticate artworks.
Reports and developments
Newest source reports first
Legal disputes
Court dismisses Sotheby’s negligence claim over a version of Caravaggio’s Cardsharps
Lancelot Thwaytes sued Sotheby’s after it sold his version of The Cardsharps as a copy of Caravaggio. A subsequent owner attributed the work to Caravaggio himself. The High Court held that Sotheby’s had not been negligent in how it assessed the painting. Photo: the disputed version, via Wikimedia Commons.
Restitution reports
Painting attributed to Caravaggio handed back to Ukraine
The Taking of Christ, stolen in Odesa in 2008 and recovered in Berlin in June 2010, was handed to Ukrainian authorities on 30 August. The painting is attributed to Caravaggio; its attribution has been disputed.