Antonio Solario’s Madonna and Child, a sixteenth-century jewel of Venetian Renaissance art, has been reinstated at Belluno’s Civic Museum following a 52-year absence, culminating an extraordinary restitution saga marked by legal defiance and eventual ethical resolution, according to Euronews.
The oil painting, acquired by the museum in 1872, vanished during a 1973 theft that also claimed several other artworks. Its journey back began in earnest when British heiress Barbara de Dozsa, who inherited the work from her late husband, attempted to auction it in 2017, unaware of its provenance, igniting a cross-border dispute.
De Dozsa initially resisted returning the masterpiece, citing the UK Limitations Act 1980, which recognises ownership of stolen goods after six years if acquired innocently. Her late husband, Baron de Dozsa, purchased the painting shortly after the heist, genuinely unaware of its illicit origins.
This legal stance crumbled under the scrutiny of Christopher Marinello, founder of Art Recovery International, who spearheaded negotiations due to his familial roots in Veneto region. “Nonsense,” Marinello retorted, emphasising that its inclusion on Interpol’s stolen art database does not mean that it will “never be sold, exhibited, or even transported without the risk of being seized.”
Marinello, hailed as the art world’s Sherlock Holmes, leveraged both diplomacy and moral persuasion. His tenacity gradually shifted de Dozsa’s position, culminating in her voluntary surrender of the work.
When it comes to returning stolen art and doing the right thing, I can be annoyingly persistent … Her kindness has restored my faith in people who unknowingly come into possession of stolen or looted works of art.
Belluno greeted the Solario’s return with elation. Mayor Oscar de Pellegrin declared the event “a day of celebration,” while the museum publicly commended de Dozsa’s “good faith”. The painting now resides temporarily in the museum’s galleries, where it will be displayed until 27 July before undergoing essential restoration.
Solario, an apprentice of the Venetian school active during the early 1500s, created works held in collections across Europe, including London’s National Gallery, yet this Madonna and Child remains singularly tied to Belluno’s cultural identity.
Meanwhile, another artwork stolen in 1973, Placido Fabris’s Madonna and Child, remains listed in Italy’s Carabinieri stolen art database, its whereabouts still unknown.
