Four precious Neapolitan shepherds from the 700th century were identified and recovered by the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Naples. The precious figurines had been stolen from a nativity scene set up at Christmas 1978 inside the church of Santa Maria la Nova.
The investigations, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Napoli, have confirmed the sale of some of the stolen shepherds through a well-known Neapolitan auction house, while other shepherds were advertised, evidently for the subsequent attempted sale, by a person from the province of Naples through images published on social networks.
The receiver from the province of Naples tried to sell them on social networks
The request for the investigation was made by the victim's son, who had suffered the theft in 78, having noticed the shepherds that belonged to his father advertised on some web pages, perfectly corresponding even in the clothing to the stolen ones, as found by the Carabinieri Tpc through the photographs of the time still preserved and inserted in the Database of illegally stolen cultural assets of the Tpc Command.
The illegal trade of 700th and 800th century Neapolitan shepherds is a practice that is far from being eradicated and, indeed, is fueled by a network of private individuals and traders in the sector who, due to the high market value of these goods, very often do not pay any attention to their provenance, answering, if discovered, to the crime of receiving stolen cultural goods.
Article published on 24 April 2023 - 08:18
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