Guercino work stolen in 2014 returns to view after restoration. On display at the Galleria Estense in Modena

The Madonna with St. John the Evangelist and St. Gregory the Wonderworker, the work by Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri; Cento, 1591 - Bologna, 1666) that was stolen on August 3, 2014, from the church of San Vincenzo in Modena, the place that kept it, and was found in Morocco in 2017, is back on view after lengthy restoration. The large canvas (nearly three meters in height) was stolen in an attempt to resell it, and during the time it was in the possession of the thieves it suffered very heavy damage, since more than 30 percent of the pictorial film was lost.

After it was found, the work was restored in the laboratories of theIstituto Superiore per la Conservazione e il Restauro (ISCR), under the direction of Maria Grazia Gattari, conservation restorer officer of the Soprintendenza archeologia belle arti e paesaggio for the metropolitan city of Bologna and the provinces of Modena, Reggio Emilia and Ferrara(a lengthy interview on the restoration can be found on this page). Instead, the restoration was materially handled by ISCR restorer Carla Zaccheo. The painting, made between 1629 and 1630, before returning to the church will be displayed for some time in the Bernini Room at the Galleria Estense in Modena, where it was unveiled this morning.

“We are proud that our museum has been chosen as the place to present to the citizens the long work of restitution of Guercino,” said Martina Bagnoli, director of the Estense Galleries of Modena and Ferrara. “The museum thus becomes a designated place to share together the joys and sorrows of the city.” Present at the presentation this morning, in addition to director Bagnoli, were the mayor of Modena Gian Carlo Muzzarelli, the deputy commander of the Carabinieri’s Nucleo Tutela Patrimonio Culturale, Colonel Alberto Deregibus, superintendent Cristina Ambrosini, ISCR director Luigi Ficacci, the vicar general of the Archdiocese of Modena and Nonantola, Monsignor Giuliano Gazzetti, and the three ISCR professionals who supervised the restoration, namely the aforementioned mentioned Carla Zaccheo, chemist Fabio Talarico and art historian Angelandreina Rorro.

Contrary to what was initially thought, the gaps in the painting were not restored, and the restorers preferred to concentrate on fixing the portions that had been damaged but could still be recovered (these were mainly pieces of the paint film that had suffered partial detachment, for which reintegrations could be made).

Pictured: Guercino, Madonna and Child with Saints John the Evangelist and Gregory the Wonderworker, after restoration (1629-1630; oil on canvas, 293 x 184.5 cm; Modena, San Vincenzo)

Guercino work stolen in 2014 returns to view after restoration. On display at the Galleria Estense in Modena

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