Editorial photo #13814346 Arts, Culture and Entertainment

Antonello da Messina's Ecce Homo finds a home in L'Aquila

The work Ecce Homo arrives from Rome in a secure crate at the National Museum of Abruzzo (MuNDA) in L'Aquila, Italy, on June 9, 2026. One of the most significant masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance has been permanently added to the museum's collection. Antonello da Messina's Ecce Homo, recently acquired by Italy's Ministry of Culture, was unveiled at MuNDA, housed in the 16th-century Spanish Fortress, during the year in which L'Aquila is celebrating its designation as Italy's Capital of Culture 2026. Dating to the 15th century, the painting is considered one of the most intense examples of Antonello's work, reflecting the artist's ability to blend Italian artistic traditions with influences from Flemish painting. The rare double-sided panel depicts the dramatic face of Christ on the front and a penitent Saint Jerome set against a Northern European-style landscape on the reverse. Following an exhibition at the Italian Senate and a programme of analysis and restoration carried out by the Central Institute for Restoration, the work has found a permanent home in the museum's gallery dedicated to 15th-century art. (Photo by Andrea Mancini/NurPhoto)