The art world continues to fascinate with magical, almost apocryphal tales of lost and found masterpieces. Just this week, a long-lost painting by iconic Renaissance artist Michelangelo was found – hanging under the noses of academics at a University of Oxford residence.

The painting in question, which hangs in the Campion Hall, had been initially thought to be a creation by Marcello Venusti, but an Italian scholar, Antonio Forcellino, says infra-red imaging of the artwork has established Michelangelo as the man behing the masterpiece. In his newly released book The Lost Michelangelos, Mr Forcellino wrote: “No-one but Michelangelo could have painted such a masterpiece.”

It has been removed from a wall and sent to the Ashmolean Museum for safekeeping. The master of Campion Hall, Father Brendan Callaghan, said: “It’s a very beautiful piece, but far too valuable to have on our wall any more.”

He told BBC that he greeted the development that the work – called Crucifixion With The Madonna, St John And Two Mourning Angels – could be a Michelangelo with “a mixture of excitement and slight concern”.

“Simply having it hanging on our wall wasn’t a good idea,” he explained. “Its value in the three years I’ve been master has gone up tenfold, even if it’s not by Michelangelo.” The painting was bought by Campion Hall at a Sotheby’s auction in the 1930s.

Crucifixion With The Madonna, St John And Two Mourning Angels

Via [BBC]