Painting Returned to Museum After Being Stolen 50 Years Ago

Art enthusiast Baron de Dozsa happened upon the painting not long after the theft, buying it in “good faith” from an unnamed salesman. He took it back to his 16th-century Tudor manor in Norfolk, where it then hung for years. Following his divorce, and his eventual death, the painting landed in the hands of Baron’s former wife, Barbara de Dozsa. Though de Dozsa later admitted that she wasn’t very fond of the artwork to begin with, it remained in her possession up until recently. 

The painting’s location was actually unknown until 2017, when de Dozsa attempted to sell it at a local auction house, and it was flagged by someone with ties to the Belluno museum. The local Italian police force, the Norfolk Constabulary, were called in and temporarily took the painting from de Dozsa. However, it was quickly returned to her. The Constabulary explained that they could not officially confiscate the artwork, because “several years [had] passed and there [had] been no response from Italian authorities in relation to the investigation.” 

Christopher Marinello, a leading art lawyer and founder of Art Recovery International– an organization based in London, Venice, and New York that specializes in locating and recovering stolen art– has continuously tried to get de Dozsa to peacefully hand over the painting. He’s been working pro bono on this case, acting solely off of the internal desire to help keep the small town’s culture intact. 

At first, de Dozsa argued the UK Limitations Act of 1980 in favor of her continued possession. This Act states that the purchaser of stolen goods, especially in good faith, can be deemed the legal owner if the sale was unrelated to the theft after six years. Though “Madonna and Child” is estimated to be worth less than £100,000 ($117,000), with other works by Solario having sold for tens of thousands more at previous auctions, de Dozsa has stood her ground.

However, perhaps facing a sudden change of heart, after years of persuasion from locals, authorities, and Marinello, De Dozsa agreed to return the painting to Belluno in finality, just last week. De Dozsa herself has not commented publicly on the matter, but Marinello told The Guardian that de Dozsa “restored my faith in humanity when so many possessors today of stolen artwork try to hold on to it. Despite the rights of the victim, people have no sympathy any more and she has proven otherwise.”