Mission accomplished! After several years studying the DNA of hundreds of bones, a group of anthropologists at the Bologna University has found the bodily remains of the great artist Caravaggio, who died at 38 in Porto Ercole. The investigation required very precise and sophisticated analysis, particularly using the Carbon 14 radiocarbon dating method.
As four centuries ago painters used lead in their colors, lead was found also in the bones of Michelangelo Merisi called the Caravaggio.
This was not an easy achievement. In the San Sebastiano cemetery , a lot has changed since Caravaggio was buried in there. One of the most recent changes occurred in 1929 when many remains were thrown together in a deep common grave, and they were exhumed only in 1956. Caravaggio’s remains were precisely among the bones in the deepest grave, the most difficult to explore.
As four centuries ago painters used lead in their colors, lead was found also in the bones of Michelangelo Merisi called the Caravaggio.
This was not an easy achievement. In the San Sebastiano cemetery , a lot has changed since Caravaggio was buried in there. One of the most recent changes occurred in 1929 when many remains were thrown together in a deep common grave, and they were exhumed only in 1956. Caravaggio’s remains were precisely among the bones in the deepest grave, the most difficult to explore.
