A Masterpiece Rediscovered: Ribera's "The Flagellation of Christ" to lead The Exclusive Collection at Stockholms Auktionsverk

“We are incredibly proud to offer our Swedish and international buyers such an extraordinary and historically significant painting in the much-anticipated debut of The Exclusive Collection. It is exceptionally rare for a work of this importance to be offered on the Swedish market, and it is a true privilege for the world’s oldest auction house to present this rediscovered masterpiece by Ribera as it reclaims its rightful place in art history,” says Victoria Svederberg, Head of the Art Department at Stockholms Auktionsverk.

The painting, created between 1612 and 1616, marks a pivotal period in Ribera’s artistic evolution. In the early 17th century, the artist left Rome for Naples—then under Spanish rule—where he encountered the powerful legacy of his great influence, Caravaggio. The Flagellation of Christ is rendered in gripping dramatic realism: Christ’s expression is calm and resigned, set in stark contrast to the brutality of his torturers.

Previously part of the Gösta Stenman collection, the work had long been attributed to another artist. However, thanks to recent research and new insights into Ribera’s oeuvre, The Flagellation of Christ has now been conclusively attributed to him. The attribution has been confirmed by Professor Nicola Spinosa, one of the world’s leading Ribera experts, as well as by Stéphane Pinta, Old Master specialist at Cabinet Turquin in Paris.

“I recognized the artist’s hand almost instantly. It is a deeply moving painting that captures the moment Christ is scourged, just before being shown to the crowd. The composition is remarkably powerful—the viewer can perceive a cross formed by the diagonal separating Christ from his tormentors, intersected by the opposite diagonal of light striking his figure. A striking example of Ribera’s dramatic realism,” says Stéphane Pinta.

The Exclusive Collection exhibition opens on 7 May at Stockholms Auktionsverk, with the live auction taking place on 22 May.