Stolen Art: Carabinieri Return a Precious 15th-Century Miniature

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A 15th-century illuminated page depicting the “Virgin and Child,” stolen from the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome in the 1980s, has been recovered by the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in the international antiques market.

The work, of significant historical and artistic importance and with an estimated value of around 250,000 euros, had been listed for sale on the website of a London auction house. Subsequent investigations by the Carabinieri revealed that it was being kept at the Swiss branch of an auction company, which voluntarily agreed to return the artifact.

The precious miniature has now been returned to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli.