Title of Artwork: “Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence”
Artwork by Caravaggio
Year Created 1609
Summary of Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence
In 1609, the Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio is thought to have painted the Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence (also known as The Adoration). In April of 1600, Fabio Nuti commissioned a painting and had it shipped from Rome to Palermo, where it was discovered.
It was taken from the Oratorio di San Lorenzo in Palermo, Sicily, on October 18, 1969.
All About Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence
Nearly six square metres of painting adorned the altar, suspended there from the ceiling (actual size 268 cm x 197 cm). Thief(s) (two are suspected) took it from its frame before stealing it from the church, most likely because of its size.
Along with the gilded and sculpted choir stalls and mother-of-pearl inlaid benches that were stolen along with it, the Oratory was looted after it was stolen.
It is widely believed that the local Mafia in Sicily is to blame for the theft, but no one is certain. To this day, the work’s location remain a mystery When it was stolen or later destroyed in the earthquake of 1980, there have been rumours about its demise, as well as rumours that it is now hiding somewhere else.
When Francesco Marino Mannoia, an ex-Sicilian mobster and former informant, claimed in 1996 that he had stolen the painting from a high-ranking mobster, other sources say it was stolen by amateurs and sold to various Mafiosi; at one point, it is said to have ended up in the hands of Rosario Riccobono, who was killed in 1982; after that, it passed to Gerlando Alberti.
A former Mafia member turned police informant, Gaspare Spatuzza, alleged in 2009 that he was told in 1999 that the painting was stolen for a private collector but destroyed by rats and pigs while stored in a farm outbuilding and the remains were set ablaze.
When it comes to heists involving stolen art, the Nativity is among the top ten most notorious examples that have yet to be found.
For an iconic piece of art such as this one, resale value is nowhere like what it would be worth if it were ever sold; it’s estimated to be worth around $20 million. If a stolen piece of art can be sold at all on the black market, it will only be worth a tenth of its actual value.
An exact replica of the painting was created by Factum Arte in 2016 for a documentary about the painting’s theft and recovery. The original was removed from the chapel and replaced by a replica that will remain there indefinitely.
Information Citations
En.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/.
