Image stolen and resurfaces as property of Italian culture minister NASA postpones manned moon mission until 2025 at the earliest

In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s legal alliance is under pressure due to an affair involving a stolen 17th-century painting. The judiciary has opened an investigation against Secretary of State for Culture Vittorio Sgarbi for the theft of cultural goods.

This concerns the painting ‘The Capture of Saint Peter’ by the Italian painter Rutilio Manetti (1571-1639), which was stolen from a castle in 2013 and subsequently resurfaced at an exhibition in Tuscany as alleged property of Sgarbi. The opposition is now demanding his resignation.

The right-wing politician, former art critic, claims that they are two different paintings. He once found the photo that belonged to him in an abandoned castle. Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano supported his secretary of state on the Rai TV channel on Tuesday evening. Meloni has not yet commented on the matter. The president of the Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) has been at the head of a coalition of three right-wing parties since October 2022.

The resurfaced painting is a 247 by 220 centimeter canvas that is now damaged. During the theft, it was cut from the frame with a knife. In addition, a torch is said to have been painted on the original. Sgarbi (71) has been under investigation for some time for the illegal export of a painting by the French painter Valentin de Boulogne (1591-1632). In this case he would have tried to sell the photo abroad. (sda/dpa)