The Baroque work “Caritas Romana” from 1643 worth two million euros is said to be illegally sold here. But with the help of the Dorotheum in Vienna and the Italian police, it was saved from an auction.
This case could serve as a blueprint for an exciting Hollywood film: two southern Italians from Bari hid the origin of the baroque painting “Caritas Romana” by the Neapolitan Artemisia Gentileschi and in 2019 they obtained the necessary papers from the Italian Ministry of Culture to be able to officially export from Italy.
Painting is estimated at two million euros
The image of the Baroque icon from Vesuvius was commissioned in the first half of the 17th century by Count Giangirolamo II Acquaviva and depicts the “Caritas Romana” and the legend of Cimon and Pero. The value of the painting is estimated by experts at around two million euros.
The Baroque treasure was to be sold by the famous Viennese auction house Dorotheum. But the local art experts sounded the alarm and saved it from the hammer!
Art treasure now hangs again in the castle near Bari
“Through a European request for legal aid, the Vienna State Criminal Investigation Service secured the painting in April this year and handed it over to the Italian authorities in July,” our police said.
In any case, the auction house is said to have done everything necessary to clarify the matter, the export license was subsequently revoked and the Gentileschi painting returned to Italy. There, the work, which is part of Count Giangirolamo II’s estate, again found its place in the Marchione di Conversano castle, not far from the Apulian city of Bari.
The European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) was in charge of the official repatriation to our southern neighbours.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
