Solario's Renaissance Masterpiece 'Madonna and Child' Recovered 50 Years After Theft
News that the Painting had surfaced in Britain went viral earlier this year after the owner, Barbara de Dozsa of Norfolk, attempted to sell the Painting at auction.
Baroness de Dozsa had acquired the painting from her deceased former husband, Baron de Dozsa, who apparently bought the painting in good faith in Austria in 1973 shortly after the theft.
In an effort to claim ownership of the Solario, Mrs. de Dozsa initially cited the UK Limitations Act of 1980 which states that a person who buys stolen goods can be recognised as the legal owner if the purchase was unconnected to the theft after more than six years.
However, Christopher A. Marinello, art lawyer and founder of Art Recovery International (ARI) challenged the claim, calling it "nonsense", and has now recovered the painting after negotiations.
"While the U.K. Limitations Act certainly supported her position, the fact that the Painting was listed on the Interpol and Carabinieri stolen art databases meant that the painting could never be sold, exhibited, or even transported without the risk of being seized", Marinello said.
Acquired by Belluno in 1872, it was among several works stolen from the museum a century later. The painting originally surfaced in 2017 when De Dozsa tried to sell it through a regional auction house. The sale was spotted by someone linked to the Belluno museum but the painting was handed back to De Dozsa in 2020 as delays caused by the Covid lockdown led to the Italian authorities being unable to supply the required documents to restore ownership to the museum.
After months of self-contemplation and some gentle arm-twisting from Marinello Mrs. de Dozsa eventually agreed to release the painting unconditionally to the Civic Museum of Belluno.
Marinello added: "When it comes to returning stolen art and doing the right thing, I can be annoyingly persistent. But ultimately, it was Barbara de Dozsa's decision to make, and she chose wisely. Her kindness has restored my faith in people who unknowingly come into possession of stolen or looted works of art."
The Solario was formally returned at a small ceremony at the Civic Museum of Belluno on Monday.
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