A painting stolen from an Italian museum was found in England, but its new owner wanted to keep it
LONDON (AP) – 16th-century paintings that had been stolen more than 50 years ago have been discovered – are now at the centre of a custody war between the English widow and a small Italian museum.
“Madonna and Children” by Antonio Solario was taken away from the Civic Museum in the town of Beruno in the Dolomites Mountains in northern Italy in 1973. According to lawyer Christopher Marinello, sometime later it was purchased by Baron Dozsa and brought to his Tudor Manor House in eastern England. Now owned by Barbara de Dozsa, the late Baron’s ex-wife.
Marinello vowed to return the painting to his family’s roots.
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“I have family connections with the area and I decided to stick with 2 cents and intervene,” Marinello said.
But in this mission, he was frustrated so far. Marinello said Tuesday that De Dozsa refused to give up the painting despite telling him “she never really liked it.”
“She doesn’t hang it-it reminds her of her ex-husband,” he said.
De Dozsa did not immediately respond to the Associated Press request for comment.
Marinello said the rediscovery of the painting began a few years ago when Barbara de Dozsa tried to sell it through an auction house in England and was considered a stolen work of art.
The local police force, Norfolk Police Department, was called, but eventually returned the painting to Dozsa.
The force told AP that the British judicial authorities recommended returning the artwork to the artwork because “a few years have passed and there is no response from the Italian authorities to investigate.”
Norfolk police said they have not yet investigated the case.
Solario’s paintings worked in Italy in the early 16th century and were sold at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Marinello said “Madonna and the Kids” might be worth less than 100,000 pounds ($128,000).
He said: “It’s not Rembrandt, but it’s worth more than its monetary value.
“Solario comes from the region, so it is very important to the people of Belluno.”
