The damage to the Caravaggio painting The Madonna of the pilgrims, which was discovered when the painting was returned from an exhibition in Milan to the church of S. Agostino in the historic centre of Rome, is not as serious as it originally seemed. Instead of there being a hole in the canvas on the foot of one of the kneeling pilgrims, a small patch of painted plaster has come off the canvas. The person working for the ministry of fine art and culture responsible for the packaging and transportation of the painting had a small square of Japanese paper, similar to a sticking plaster, put onto the damaged area of the painting before it left Milan as a precaution against further damage. Restoration experts from the ministry have inspected the painting and it is expected that repairs to the canvas will be completed within the next few days.