Family Might Own Lost Michelangelo


A family in Buffalo passed this painting from generation to generation for years. While they called it a Michelangelo, no one in the family really took the claim too serious until Martin Kober retired in 2003 and decided to look into the painting's origins. As he started contacting museums and art scholars, the claim started to seem more and more believable.
A scientific examination of the painting showed it was incomplete, which helped proved the work was an original. Additionally, the ownership records date the painting to 1545, which was around the same time Michelangelo was working on his "Pieta" sculpture, which contained the same subject material of Mary holding Jesus.
Scholars estimate the painting could be worth as much as $300 million if it is accepted as an authentic.
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