Renowned Italian art critic Vittorio Sgarbi has confirmed that a painting bought by the Maltese government for €75,000 is not an original of the 17th century master Mattia Preti but only a replica made by the artist’s workshop.

Mr Sgarbi – himself a former culture minister – harshly criticised Justice and Culture Minister Owen Bonnici, who is responsible for Heritage Malta, for allowing his spokesperson to use his name without his permission.

The art critic’s name was used in an attempt to justify the purchase of the painting, which according to the government is an original. The spokesman had claimed that according to a book edited by Mr Sgarbi, it is indeed a Preti.

“I have noted that my name was – without my permission – splashed in the newspapers by the spokesperson of the Culture Ministry and that the impression was given that I somehow believe that the painting bought by Heritage Malta, which is cut from a larger piece, is an autograph work of Mattia Preti,” Mr Sgarbi told The Sunday Times of Malta.

The painting bought by the Maltese government for €75,000: “Certainly a work of a member of Preti’s workshop.” Photo: DOI

“I have seen good images of the painting and must put on record that this does not achieve the standards of brushwork and virtuosity of the Calabrian master. It is certainly the work of a member of his bottega (workshop),” Mr Sgarbi insisted.

The Italian art critic, considered a world authority on Baroque art, expressed deep annoyance at the way his name was bandied about. “Heritage Malta should have consulted me directly before deciding to put my name to this. This is shameful!” he said.

The polemic over the purchase of the 17th century painting by Heritage Malta erupted following public declarations made by Dr Bonnici during the unveiling of the recently acquired painting for the national collection.

Dr Bonnici trumpeted the acquisition as “a unique painting by Mattia Preti”.

The minister’s declaration immediately provoked a reaction from Keith Sciberras, head of the department of History of Art at the University of Malta, who wrote on his Facebook page that this was not a Mattia Preti but a replica from the master’s workshop.

Heritage Malta should have consulted me directly before deciding to put my name to this. This is shameful!

“Just to clarify that Mattia Preti’s autograph original of the Apelles painting Campaspe in front of Alexander the Great is in a private collection in Spain,” Prof. Sciberras wrote.

“The picture purchased by Heritage Malta is one-third of a workshop replica of the original.”

Prof. Sciberras is a leading scholar on Mattia Preti and has published and lectured extensively on the artist in major museums, institutions and universities worldwide.

Reacting, a spokeswoman for Dr Bonnici admitted that the picture was just a fragment of the painting but insisted it is a Preti original. The spokeswoman quoted attributions made by John Spike, an American art historian, and Mr Sgarbi to justify Dr Bonnici’s assertion.

However, Mr Sgarbi has now told this newspaper that he agrees with Prof. Sciberras. Efforts to reach Prof. Spike for a comment were not successful.

Art dealers who spoke to this newspaper said that if what Mr Sgarbi and Prof. Sciberras were saying is true, it meant that the Maltese government was short-changed by about €45,000.

“A picture like the one bought by Malta would normally fetch between €20,000 and €30,000. This means that Malta was short-changed at least €45,000 if it bought a replica and not a Preti original,” one art dealer said.

“When in doubt leave out. We cannot understand how Heritage Malta, which is supposed to be full of art connoisseurs, can just use taxpayer’s money to buy something which they are not certain about,” the dealer said.

“The fault is not the minister’s – as he is certainly no art expert – but the professionals at Heritage Malta.”

When asked, the spokeswoman for Dr Bonnici denied that the purchase involved a commission to some middle man involved in the purchase.

“No commission whatsoever was paid and the painting was bought from a public auction held by Artcurial in Paris.”

On his part, Prof. Sciberras accused Heritage Malta of trying to shift responsibility.

“The narrative Heritage Malta provided is particularly devious and certainly not what is expected in terms of scholarship.

“Their choice of wrongly quoting Vittiorio Sgarbi on this painting is worrying and smells of a hidden agenda,” he said.

Correction: A previous version of this article mistakenly described Preti as a 19th century artist. He was active in the 17th century.