“After more than a year of negotiations,” said Minister Alessandro Giuli, “we announce today the purchase by the Ministry of Culture of an extraordinary masterpiece by Caravaggio, the ’Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini.’ This is a work of exceptional importance, attributed to the Master by Roberto Longhi, which is now offered for the full enjoyment of the public and the international scientific community, just a few months after its first exhibition in a museum, which took place at Palazzo Barberini. This acquisition, together with the recent acquisition of Antonello da Messina’s ’Ecce Homo,’ is part of a broader project to strengthen the national cultural heritage that the Ministry of Culture will continue to pursue in the coming months, with the aim of making accessible to scholars and enthusiasts some masterpieces of art history otherwise destined for the private market. I would like to thank all the institutions, officials and technicians who worked with great skill and dedication so that a result of this significance could be achieved.”