It appears that an Italian nobleman by the name of Vincenzo Giustiniani (1564-1637), a scholar and an art collector, commissioned the portrait. The work was listed in his inventory, but it seemed to have been lost in the XIX century. Experts say that this work of the genius precursor of the baroque period should be dated before 1600. This belongs to the transition period of Caravaggio to that stage where and when he painted more religious themes. Authorship and origin have been established.
This work, whose whereabouts are not yet known, appeared among the collections of a Spanish art collector on May 2010. The painting also drew much discussion in the Italian press because historians and critics of art could not agree, in the beginning, on its date and authorship.
This portrait of Saint Augustine and eleven other original paintings of the Milanese artist have been on exhibit since June 17 in the National Gallery of Ottawa, Canada.
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi, much more known as Caravaggio (1571-1610) has been one of the most influential painters in history. In fact he is one of those who have the most public acceptance. Great number of visitors, during these last years, has been attracted to exhibits of his works as well as to the places, especially in Rome, where his paintings are found. His life was short and he only produced some 70 works. And the whereabouts of some of these are still unknown.
Except in the beginning, most of the works of Caravaggio were of religious themes. His clients, however, were often scandalized and rejected his paintings. There were two common complaints: the realism of his religious figures that bordered along naturalism, and his choice of models who were taken from among the poor and the vulgar. Instead of choosing saint-like figures to represent Biblical works and personalities, he preferred to get models from among the crowd: prostitutes, street children, or beggars to pose for the personalities of his painting