Rende – After nearly half a century of oblivion, an eighteenth-century Neapolitan masterpiece finally returns to its original home.
The Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit (TPC) of Naples, by order of the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office, have returned to the Church of Maria SS. del Rosario in Rende (CS) a painting attributed to the master Francesco De Mura (Naples, 1696 – 1782), one of the finest exponents of the 18th-century Neapolitan school of painting.
This is an oil on canvas measuring approximately 115x150 centimeters, depicting the “Madonna of the Rosary with Baby Jesus and Saints,” stolen by unknown persons on January 4, 1978 and never recovered—until today.
A discovery resulting from patient investigations
The recovery was made possible thanks to a complex investigative effort conducted by members of the Carabinieri Special Branch, who cross-referenced data and reports from art assets seized in Naples as part of a civil proceeding.
During their inspections, TPC experts discovered inconsistencies in the provenance of some paintings belonging to private collections. Subsequent analysis of the relevant registers and databases allowed them to trace the painting's true identity: it was indeed the Madonna of the Rosary stolen from Rende in 1978.
As is often the case in these cases, the crucial step was to consult the "Database of Illegally Stolen Cultural Heritage," managed by the Carabinieri Command (TPC), which contains over 1,3 million records and images of stolen works of art in Italy and around the world.
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It is thanks to this digital archive, unique in its breadth and reliability, that investigators were able to identify the painting with certainty and reconstruct its history.
The restitution ceremony
The official ceremony was held on the afternoon of October 9, in the presence of the Archbishop of Cosenza-Bisignano, local authorities, and members of the TPC Unit of Naples.
The work will be relocated to the altar of the Church of Maria SS. del Rosario in Rende, where for decades it has been venerated by the faithful and considered an integral part of the community's religious and artistic identity.
"The restitution of this work represents not only an investigative success," the Carabinieri of the TPC emphasized, "but an act of cultural justice that brings a fragment of its artistic memory back to the community."
De Mura, the heir of Neapolitan Baroque
Francesco De Mura, a pupil of Francesco Solimena, was one of the leading figures of 18th-century Neapolitan painting. His works, characterized by a soft light and classical elegance, mark the transition from Baroque to Neoclassical sensibility.
Rende's “Madonna del Rosario”, with its balanced composition and warm tones, is an emblematic example of his artistic maturity.
A heritage to protect
The Rende case is only the latest in a long series of restitutions that the Carabinieri of the TPC have completed in recent years.
In 2024 alone, the Command recovered over 3.000 cultural assets, including paintings, sculptures, archaeological finds, and liturgical objects, often stolen decades ago and resurfaced on the antiques market or in private collections.
The return of Our Lady of the Rosary thus represents a victory for collective memory, but also a warning: the protection of cultural heritage remains a delicate issue, where vigilance and technology go hand in hand with faith and the identity of places.
Comments (1)
The article talks about the recovery of a painting that had been missing for many years. It's interesting to see how the authorities are working to find these works of art. We hope that other paintings can be found again.