After more than half a century of forgetting, a work by the painter Sandro Botticelli, representing a Virgin and Child, was found in a private home in the Naples region and returned to the State. “The painting, one of the last created by the master, is worth around 100 million euros but is in very poor condition. It will take at least a year to restore it, then it will be exhibited in a museum in Naples,” reports La Repubblica. It dates from the last decade of the 15th century.
Carried out with the carabinieri, a surveillance mission from the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscapes of the Naples metropolitan area made it possible to recover the painting from the owner who inherited it.
“This is a work totally unknown to the public – explains Commander Croce who led the operation to La Repubblica. It will now be exposed again thanks to the intervention of the State (…). The Botticelli was returned because it was in very poor condition and required extensive restoration work. The family continues to hold the title to the work, which will however be kept in a museum. It will take a year to restore the canvas. The analyzes revealed significant alterations.
According to the art historian Peppe di Massa, the face of the Madonna is inspired by that of the master’s muse Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci: “Simonetta, also loved by a Medici, died at only 23 years old and her beauty was such that during his funeral the coffin was uncovered for everyone to admire. Botticelli began painting it 7 years after his death,” he still tells the Italian daily.