Carabinieri Recover Tiepolo Painting in Padua

A small oil on canvas by Giandomenico Tiepolo (Venice, 1721–1780), titled Sacra Famiglia, was recovered by the Carabinieri Nucleo per la Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale di Venezia and returned in a ceremony at the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ D’Oro in Venice. The painting, dated between 1770 and 1780, was lost due to fraudulent bankruptcy and subsequent illicit handling, then seized in Padua during a broader investigation. After being returned to the bankruptcy trustee, it was presented to the export office in Milan for sale abroad for €200,000, before being deemed of significant cultural interest by the Soprintendenza di Venezia. The work, measuring 38 cm x 45 cm, was likely intended for private devotion. The Italian Ministry of Culture purchased it for €150,000, assigning it to the Direzione Regionale Musei del Veneto and the collection of the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ D’Oro.