Artemisia Gentileschi painting repatriated from Austria after theft

The artwork Caritas Romana, created by Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1653), has been returned to Italy after its unlawful exportation to Austria. It was located at Castello Marchione in Conversano (Bari) and was listed for sale at the Dorotheum auction house in Vienna, with an estimated value of €2 million. The Carabinieri’s Cultural Heritage Protection Unit in Bari, under prosecutor Baldo Pisani, successfully traced the painting, which had been stolen in 2019, and repatriated it through a “European freezing” measure. The piece, commissioned by Count Giangirolamo Acquaviva d’Aragona, illustrates a narrative from Valerius Maximus. The investigation is focusing on its two current owners for aggravated fraud and illegal export due to their false declarations regarding its value and legal status. Multiple Italian authorities and Eurojust were involved in the operation.