An Italian family was unaware they were at the center of a missing art scandal.
The family had a ‘missing’ Sandro Botticelli painting, estimated to be worth about $109 million U.S. dollars, in their home, according to SCMP.
According to CNN, the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage discovered the painting in Gragnano, near Naples.
Botticelli’s work was thought to be missing for nearly 50 years.
The portrait featured the Virgin Mary and her child. It was painted in tempera on wood.
Tempera is a painting style involving pigments mixed with a water-soluble mixture, usually containing water and egg yolk. According to the Tate, Tempera can also be done with an oil-in-water emulsion containing oil and a whole egg. It is permanent and fast-drying.
The found painting was one of Botticelli’s lesser-known paintings. It was also likely one of his last.
Botticelli’s painting was commissioned by the Roman Catholic Church in 1470. It was housed in a Santa Maria la Carità church until an earthquake destroyed the building.
After that natural disaster, the Botticelli masterpiece was entrusted to the Sommas family. The Sommas passed this painting down from relative to relative throughout their generations.
A record on file stated that the Sommas family had the painting — a record that even the local mayor knew of. CNN reported that it is not known how the Botticelli painting got added to the Culture Ministry’s list of missing art.
Unfortunately, the painting has received some damage and wear over time and is considered to be in poor condition.
The Italian Culture Ministry said the painting needs to go through about a year of restoration before it can be displayed again.
Who was Sandro Botticelli?
Firstly, Sandro Botticelli was not his real name.
Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi was born in Florence, Italy, around 1445. He was given the nickname ‘Botticelli,’ derived from the Italian word ‘Botticello,’ meaning ‘small wine cask.’
Botticelli’s mythological, religious art was highly regarded during his time. In fact, in 1481, the Roman Pope had him help decorate the walls of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. He painted frescoes from the Life of Moses and the Temptations of Christ, according to The National Gallery.
Today, Botticelli’s most famous works are “La Primavera,” “Venus and Mars,” and “The Birth of Venus.”
Unfortunately, Botticelli experienced poverty and depression toward the end of his life, as his work began to decline in popularity.
He passed in 1510.
What is The Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage?
The Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, also known as the Italian “Tutela Patrimonio Culturale” (T.P.C.), is Italy’s ‘art police.’
According to Columbia University, it started in 1969 as a response to the decline of Italy’s artistic heritage.
The T.P.C. works alongside international governments and organizations to stop artistic and cultural heritage crime.
The T.P.C.’s “Database of illegally stolen cultural goods” is an important tool for investigating the illicit trade of artwork. The database was created in 1980 and contains around 1,300,000 files. The database has photographs of more than half of its items. These photographs are used to help the T.P.C. to recognize art pieces when they locate them.
Italy was also the first country to join UNESCO’s movement to establish the “Blue Helmets for Culture,” an initiative to strengthen the protection of cultural heritage.
The “Blue Helmets of Culture,” named for their distinctive headgear, is a task force founded in 2016. The Blue Helmets include T.P.C. officers and experts from the culture ministry.
Their job is to assess damage to heritage items, participate in conservation efforts, train international forces, and prevent looting and trafficking, according to The Art Newspaper.
