Missing Botticelli painting found in southern Italy home

A painting by the renowned 15th-century artist Sandro Botticelli, which had been missing since the 1980s, has been located in a residence in southern Italy. The Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Naples reported that the artwork, depicting the Virgin Mary and infant Christ, was discovered in a home in Gragnano, near Naples. Botticelli, known for […]

A painting by the renowned 15th-century artist Sandro Botticelli, which had been missing since the 1980s, has been located in a residence in southern Italy.

The Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Naples reported that the artwork, depicting the Virgin Mary and infant Christ, was discovered in a home in Gragnano, near Naples.

Botticelli, known for masterpieces like “The Birth of Venus” and “Primavera,” created this piece in 1470 for the Roman Catholic Church, and Italian authorities estimate its value to be at least €100 million ($109 million).

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Measuring 58 x 80 centimetres (23 x 31 inches) and painted in tempera on wood, the artwork was originally hung in a church in Santa Maria la Carità. Following an earthquake in 1982, it was entrusted to the Somma family for safekeeping.

While inspections of the painting stopped in the 1990s, a representative from the Italian Ministry of Culture stated that the family is not under investigation because an official decree has entrusted them with the artwork.