-- A pair of paintings discovered by Britain's Queen Elizabeth while spring cleaning have been confirmed as authentic Caravaggios worth $134 million.

The queen unearthed two works by the Baroque painter after deciding to dust off some old pieces of art for Buckingham Palace exhibition. Her findings were initially dismissed as imitations, but, after further investigation, the two pieces - "Boy Peeling Fruit" and "The Calling of Saint Peter and Andrew" - have been confirmed as the genuine article.

Royal Collection curator Lucy Whitaker told Britain's Daily Mail newspaper: "Under layers of dull varnish and dirt, the conservator discovered something much more interesting than we had ever thought before. It was very, very exciting. We have since had experts from around the globe examine the work and it has now, formally, been attributed to Caravaggio."

The queen's paintings are so rare - there are fewer than 50 original Caravaggio works known to be in existence - experts at London's Sotheby's auction house can only estimate their exact worth.

Whitaker added: "The paintings are simply breathtaking and the significance of their provenance cannot be overstated."

The paintings went on display at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

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