Art News

DNA Tests Could Solve Mystery of Baroque Master Caravaggio’s Death

ROME (REUTERS).- The mystery surrounding the death of Baroque master Caravaggio may soon be resolved thanks to new DNA tests — as long as the right body can be found. What caused the death of the painter in 1610 and the whereabouts of his corpse have always been unclear. But a team of Italian anthropologists believe that what is left of Caravaggio’s body may be hidden among dozens of bodies buried in a crypt in Tuscany, thanks to recent historical clues. The team — armed with a CAT scan and kits for carbon dating — plan to study the painter’s exhumed remains to discover how he died.