The moment she saw it, Maria Cristina Terzaghi was convinced: the 17th-century canvas was definitely a Caravaggio, so she raced from Rome to Madrid to help authenticate the lost Renaissance masterpiece. The painting had been due to go under the hammer on Thursday with a starting price of just 1,500 euros until it was abruptly withdrawn from auction by Spain’s government on suspicion it was actually painted by Caravaggio.

Sitting in a cafe in the Spanish capital, this Italian art history specialist told AFP what caused her to jump on a plane from Rome to Madrid for what she’s dubbed “Operation Caravaggio”. Entitled “Coronation with Thorns”, the dark and atmospheric canvas shows a bloodied Jesus just before his crucifixion with the work attributed to “the entourage of (Spanish artist) Jose de Ribera”.