When a work “comes home”, especially after years of research, it is always a joy and a pride.The news of the discovery, by the Carabinieri Command for the protection of the cultural heritage, of a Madonna with Child by hand of Pinturicchio, Umbrian artist between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, previously belonged to a Perugian collector, is the last few days.
Thanks to a careful monitoring of the auctions (the tempera was infact traced at a London auction house) and an action of cultural diplomacy promoted by the Mibac, the work returned to its rightful owners. Fabrizio Parrulli, Commander of the Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, commented on the operation with these words:
“it was possible to identify the stolen painting thanks to the precious information contained in the database of illegally stolen Cultural Heritage, even at a distance of almost thirty years”.
Before returning to the original location, from which it was stolen, the painting will be available to the public at the National Gallery of Umbria until 26 January 2020, a good reason to visit one of the most interesting italian collections, not only for the central-Italian panorama, but also national.
