Bologna, important 14th-century painting by Giusto de' Menabuoi stolen from Pinacoteca Nazionale

Asensational theft at the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna: a Saint Ambrose by Giusto de’ Menabuoi (Florence, 1320/30 - Padua, 1390), one of the leading 14th-century artists active in northern Italy, was in fact stolen from the rooms dedicated to medieval painting. The work is located in the same room (number 3) as Giotto’s famous Bologna Polyptych, dates back to 1363 and, according to Roberto Longhi’s hypothesis, was formerly part of a polyptych whose central compartment was made up of the Maestà now housed in the Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Reale in Pisa. The polyptych, also known as the polyptych of Isotta Terzago (after the name of the patron) was probably executed in Milan, given the relationships that link it to Milanese art of the time.

The theft reportedly took place yesterday afternoon during opening hours: the alarm was raised at 6:30 p.m., and the forensic police, the mobile squad and a patrol of Carabinieri responded to the scene. Forensic policemen worked late into the night to detect traces and view videos from the Pinacoteca’s internal surveillance.

The work had been donated in 2003 to the Pinacoteca by Bianca Arcangeli, a painter and sister of the great art historian Francesco: the work was part of her collection and has an estimated value of 70,000 euros. The theft (probably commissioned) comes a few days after another similar episode, the theft of the Crucifixion and Descent into Limbo by the Master of Faenza, which occurred at the Pinacoteca Comunale di Faenza. Most likely the two episodes are connected.

Image: Giusto de’ Menabuoi, Saint Ambrose (1363; tempera on panel, 29.3 x 19 cm; Bologna, Pinacoteca Nazionale)

Bologna, important 14th-century painting by Giusto de' Menabuoi stolen from Pinacoteca Nazionale

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