Poldi Pezzoli, house coat of arms stolen after the war returns home

The bronze sculptural coat of arms cast with the family’s arms has returned to the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan after more than 70 years. It had been stolen on Dec. 3, 1946, when work was started on the reconstruction of the palace that had been severely damaged by war bombing.

The coat of arms was placed on the outside balcony of the museum hall and had been made between 1875 and 1880 by Ludovico Pogliaghi. And on the occasion of the restoration of the building, it had disappeared into thin air, and the museum management at the time had reported it stolen.

In 2018 the Archaeological Superintendence of the Metropolitan City of Milan informed the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit that they had traced the coat of arms in the catalog of a well-known auction house. According to the investigation, the bronze sculpture had been offered for sale by a lady from Padua over 70 years old. Now the property has been seized and returned to its original location.

“The coat of arms finally returns visible to all, placed on the entrance arch to the Scalone Antico, in a sort of welcome to visitors who are about to enter the upper floor of the house-museum to discover its collections,” said Poldi Pezzoli Museum director Annalisa Zanni.

Poldi Pezzoli, house coat of arms stolen after the war returns home

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