In a brief note posted on its website, the Complesso della Pilotta in Parma has let it know, following thearticle published by Finestre sull’Arte that gave an account of its departure, what the quid pro quo is coming from China in exchange for the loan of Leonardo da Vinci’s Scapiliata , one of the museum’s most recognizable works (probably the most famous along with Parmigianino’sSchiava Turca ). The museum let the Scapiliata leave for China in exchange for a 150,000 euro grant that, the Pilotta explains, “will allow the restoration of all the works in need of intervention at the National Gallery of Parma.”
The work, the museum points out, will remain on display for three months at the Shanghai Museum, where the exhibition is scheduled to run from December 10, 2023 until April 4, 2024. So it is to be inferred that if the loan lasts three months, the work will go back when the exhibition is not yet over, as the exhibition lasts longer. And one has to wonder why the Pilotta, which usually does not skimp on communication, did not give timely notice of the loan and issue communiqués to inform the press and public of the departure of one of its beloved works. So now the discussion will inevitably shift to another point: can a museum deprive itself for a few months of one of its best-known works if in return it receives funding for restoration? The debate is always open.
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150,000 euros for the Scapiliata: the Pilotta lets people know what it received for the loan |
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