Rubens painting seized in Genoa over illegal export investigation

Carabinieri of the Nucleo TPC in Genoa have seized a painting by Peter Paul Rubens, 'Christ Appearing to His Mother,' valued at €4 million, as part of an investigation into illicit export and money laundering. The work was part of the exhibition 'Rubens a Genova' at Palazzo Ducale, which opened on October 9, 2022, and was extended until February 5, 2023. According to the Ministry of Culture, the painting originally belonged to the Cambiaso noble family and was kept in Palazzo Pitto, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In 2012, it was sold to the current suspects, who allegedly exported it using a false Certificate of Free Circulation obtained from the Export Office of Pisa through false declarations. The suspects also used shell companies abroad to conceal the sale. The painting features a unique pentimento: an X-ray revealed a third female figure between the Virgin and Christ, which Rubens later painted over. The room where the work was displayed remains closed to the public.