A lost painting by Sandro Botticelli has been found after 50 years. The painting disappeared from Italian state’s art records 50 years ago and has recovered from a family home near Naples.
The artwork, which dates to the 15th century and is valued at around €100 million, was originally kept in a church located in the town of Santa Maria la Carità. Later, it was handed over to a local family who kept it in a private residence for several generations.
For reasons that remain unclear, the painting, then fell off the state’s radar, to the point that many thought it had been lost altogether.
The painting was found to be in a poor condition, with numerous abrasions and chromatic alterations caused by oxidation of varnishes. The canvas will now undergo extensive restoration work in the hope that it can finally be seen by the public.
History of the painting
According to the Guardian’s article, Peppe Di Massa, an art historian, said the recovered painting was one of Botticelli’s most beloved works because the Madonna it depicts was inspired by Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, the artist’s muse and – some say – lover, who died at the age of 23.
The painting, mentioned in a book about Botticelli’s life by the English author Ronald W Lightbown, was donated by the artist to Pope Sixtus IV, who then handed it over to a small rural church –Santa Maria delle Grazie, in the municipality of Santa Maria la Carità in Naples.
The pope, who was short of money at that time, gave it to a church to curry favour with the Medici family, who had acquired properties in the Neapolitan countryside to develop vineyards.
