A painting by famous artist Sandro Botticelli, thought missing for almost 50 years, has been discovered.
The masterpiece depicting the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus was discovered in a family home in the Italian town of Gragnano, south of Naples, according to CNN.
The artwork is estimated to be worth at least $109 million.
It is believed to be one of the last paintings by the artist, who died in 1510 and is best known for “The Birth of Venus” and “Spring.”
“This is a work totally unknown to the public, which will now be exhibited again, thanks to the intervention of the State,” said Massimiliano Croce, commander of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of the Italian Carabinieri.
Experts believe the 23-by-31-inch work of art, which depicts the Virgin Mary covering her hair with a veil as Jesus sits on her lap, was commissioned by the Roman Catholic Church in 1470. It hung in a church in the Neapolitan suburb of Santa Maria la Carità sometime in the early 1900s, after the church where it was originally located burned down.
The second church was damaged in a 1982 earthquake, prompting the parish to pass the painting on to a local Somma family to care for the masterpiece in their private home.
During the first years, local authorities made themselves available to inspect its condition and advise the family on its cleaning and maintenance.
The piece painted in tempera on wood will need extensive restoration, as it is scratched, lacks some paint and has suffered alterations due to oxidation. The works are expected to last around a year. Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage
However, for an undetermined reason, authorities stopped coming sometime in the 1990s and the painting was listed as missing.
This was until last summer, when the piece was finally traced to the Somma family, who had continued to display the artwork in their homes.
“The last time authorities inspected the private residence where Botticelli’s painting was kept was more than 50 years ago,” Croce said. “Since then, inexplicably, the painting had been forgotten by the authorities.”
“Inexplicably, the authorities had forgotten the painting.”
A spokesperson for the Italian Ministry of Culture told CNN that there is an official decree on file entrusting the painting to the family, exempting the family from any criminal investigation.
“The family still has the title of the work, which, however, will be preserved in a museum,” Croce said.
Experts say the painting was one of Botticelli’s most beloved works because its interpretation of the Virgin Mary was supposedly inspired by Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, the artist’s muse and alleged lover, who died at age 23, according to The Guardian.
“The Pope donated it to a small rural church as a tribute to obtain financial support from the powerful Medici family to finance the completion of the Sistine Chapel during a period when the Pope was having financial difficulties,” said Peppe Di Massa, a historian of the art. The Republic.
“Many of us fought for this painting to be returned to the community when traces of it were lost. They said it had ended up in a safe deposit box. “Now we hope it can find its rightful place in a museum.”
The piece, painted in tempera on wood, will need extensive restoration, as it has suffered scratches, is missing some paint, and has undergone changes caused by oxidation. The works are expected to last around a year.
It will finally be exhibited to the public in one of the national museums in Naples.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn