In 1470, Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) painted Madonna delle Grazie, depicting the Virgin Mary and an infant Jesus clutching at her chest, as a gift for Pope Sixtus IV. Botticelli allegedly used his muse, Simonetta Vespucci, as a model for Madonna. She also posed for Botticelli's most famous works as the figure of Venus in The Birth of Venus and Primavera.
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In order to cull favor and donations from the Medici family, who owned extensive property in the Neapolitan countryside, the Pope donated the tempera on wood panel to a church in the region. After that church burned down, the painting was moved to another chapel in the early 20th century. When that church was impacted by an earthquake in 1982, the Botticelli masterpiece was removed and given to the local Somma family under decree by the government. However, for over 50 years, the painting has been considered missing, as the government seemingly forgot about it and stopped doing routine checks on it in the 1990s.
Now, the Botticelli masterpiece has been recovered from the Somma family by the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Naples in order to safeguard and conserve the work, which is currently in poor condition due to oxidation of its varnish. Investigations are underway to determine the rightful owner of the painting, though it is planned to join the collection of a Naples museum regardless of the outcome.
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Superintendent Mariano Nuzzo said in a statement, "The work will be entrusted to the care of an Institute of the Ministry of Culture specialized in the sector of restoration of works of art in order to start a process of study and valorization of the painting." After the restoration, which is expected to take a year, the painting will enter a museum collection.
Very few paintings by Botticelli remain in private hands, with most held in major art museums. The Renaissance master repeated the motif of Madonna and Child often, with important versions found at the Uffizi Gallery, the Louvre and the Gemäldegalerie.
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Due to its rarity, Madonna delle Grazie is estimated to be worth €100 million (about $109 million). In January 2021, the auction record for Botticelli was set when Young Man Holding a Roundel sold at Sotheby's New York for $92 million.
