Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence
The Missing Nativity
Caravaggio · 1600 or 1609
01
Palermo. The Oratory of San Lorenzo.
Caravaggio, over the altar.
Almost 2.7 metres of canvas.
02
An angel swoops in from above.
It carries a scroll.
03
Mary sits slumped.
The child lies at her feet.
04
Two saints who never saw Bethlehem.
Lawrence on the left. Francis on the right.
05
Look again at the colours.
Every one comes from a photograph.
The painting itself hasn't been seen since 1969.
The whole Nativity.
As it was before 1969.
“Gloria in excelsis Deo”
October 1969
Thieves cut it from its frame.
It has never been found.
Mafia informants have told conflicting stories.
In 2015 a replica went up in its place.
Caravaggio
Italian · Baroque · 1571 to 1610
Sources · 6
- UNESCO: Stolen objects record: Nativity with Saints Lorenzo and Francesco
- Finestre sull'Arte: Caravaggio's Nativity: painted in Rome, sent to Palermo, stolen in 1969
- Artnet: The hunt for Caravaggio's Nativity
- Apollo: The murky mystery of Caravaggio's stolen Palermo Nativity
- Factum Foundation: Recreating the Nativity
- Wikipedia: Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence
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