Caravaggio's Nativity stolen in 1969 possibly torn to pieces: Palermo prosecutor's office reopens investigation

There is a turning point on the story of Caravaggio ’s Nativity (Milan, 1571 - Porto Ercole, 1610), the celebrated masterpiece stolen from the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo on the night of October 17-18, 1969, and never found again(here is a detailed in-depth study of the work). Nothing more has been heard of the Nativity: the theft has always been attributed to the Mafia, but the fate of the painting is unknown (there are even those who claim it was destroyed).

In recent hours, however, the Palermo Public Prosecutor’s Office has decided to reopen the investigation into the theft of the great masterpiece: the Antimafia Commission, in fact, has reportedly communicated new details about the affair to investigators. In particular, the possibility has emerged that the Mafia delivered the painting to a Swiss art dealer. According to the committee, the theft would have been the work of common thugs, and would have ended up in the hands of Cosa Nostra only later. In particular, the work would have been taken care of by boss Gaetano Badalamenti, who, according to Rosy Bindi, president of the Antimafia Commission, “did not understand the beauty of the work, but the economic value did.” It seems then “that the painting was sold to a Swiss dealer, whom we think we have identified, was moved in front of the work, but would have equally cut it up to sell it. The Mafia made a substantial profit from it.”

The work is on the FBI’s list of the ten most wanted works. Now the reopening of the file, assigned to Assistant Prosecutor Marzia Sabella and Prosecutor Roberto Tartaglia and still charged to unknown persons, could open new scenarios.

Pictured: Caravaggio, Nativity with Saints Lawrence and Francis, detail (1600; oil on canvas, 268 x 197 cm; Palermo, formerly in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, stolen in 1969)

Caravaggio's Nativity stolen in 1969 possibly torn to pieces: Palermo prosecutor's office reopens investigation

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