A priceless Italian painting,
Really burned by the "Godfather"?
Author: Feng Lu
Editor: Ling Yun
Silence and darkness enveloped the church of San Lorenzo, and Manoa searched the walls of the church using small beams of light from a pocket flashlight. In the middle of the exquisite white plaster carving, the world-famous painting "Nativity", which is valued at up to $20 million in legend, stands out.
In a dignified atmosphere, Jesus croaks on a simple straw pile, and Maria is surrounded by angels and saints, disheveled and looking a little tired—not only the scene of Jesus' birth, but also the life of a civilian mother who has just given birth, with an artistic effect of direct dialogue with the viewer.
This famous scene was written by the Renaissance master Caravaggio, and Manoa was already familiar with it.
Not long ago, a TV show about art treasures detailed this famous painting from more than 300 years ago. The show says that "Nativity" is almost six square meters and is hidden in the church of San Lorenzo in Palermo, the capital of Sicily.
The painting was created in the autumn of 1608, the most difficult time of Caravaggio's life. Involved in a murder, he fled Rome under the protection of the magnates and hid in Naples and other places.
He was frantic and restless, sometimes wielding a sword and "running around", even sleeping with a dagger around him. Finally, he went to Sicily and spent the rest of his life as a fugitive.
Portrait of Caravaggio.
Nativity is a painting by Caravaggio towards the end of his life. In contrast to paintings that generally celebrate the joy of the birth of Jesus, this painting has a strong chiaroscuro contrast, a distinct sense of dramatic contrast, and a concern about the uncertain outlook.
Manoa inevitably thought of his own life. For most thieves, a famous painting is a framed cash check hanging unguarded on the wall, not for Manoa. In the gang, someone is responsible for arms trafficking, someone is responsible for drug trafficking, and he specializes in stealing art, thinking that he is a knowledgeable thief.
He even felt that he had similarities with Master Caravaggio—a poor bricklayer whose life was dangerous and confusing, a poor bricklayer who was rough and irritable, who kept his sword in his hands, who was often drunk and drunk, who fought and fought everywhere, and whose security and interrogation records were several pages long.
So was Manoa. Born in poverty, and wanting to take shortcuts to get ahead, what can he do?
"It's raining a little outside." The companion said to Manoa as he carried the ladder into the church. In Manoa's view, rough work is all companion, after all, he is short and bald, and he is well-dressed, slender fingers, and should be responsible for things with technical thresholds and taste.
The rainy nights of late autumn are a bit cool. Manoa's hand trembled a little, and he groped around in his pocket for a while before he found the boundary paper knife that had been polished in advance. He needed to pierce the canvas and cut to the edge as much as possible— it wasn't easy, and if he wasn't careful, he would cut his fingers.
The companion held the ladder, and Manoa cut intently. The sound of rain hitting the glass was getting louder and louder. He finally cut off the canvas and rolled it up. Finally, together with his companions, he put the scroll on the cart and drove away with full horsepower.
The next morning, Father Rocco of the Church of San Lorenzo dressed in black and walked down the wet steps after the rain to the church. For many years, there was only one old watchman on duty in the church, who saw the wooden door of the church being pried open in the distance, and his heart directly missed a beat, as if something big had happened.
Sure enough, the wall in front of the altar was blank, and the floor was littered with empty frames with fragments of canvas. For three and a half centuries, the "Nativity" that countless people have looked up to with a pilgrimage mentality has disappeared.
Exterior of the church of San Lorenzo.
Palermo, a quiet and historic city, was instantly thrust to the forefront. The entire international art scene was shaken. Italy invested a huge police force to investigate and found that all the clues pointed to the mafia.
The red dot is Palermo.
In the late 1960s, almost all of Palermo's major cases were related to the mafia. At the time, the Mafia was indeed involved in the illegal trade in many stolen works of art, which were used as collateral in exchange for drugs and weapons. Unfortunately, only 1.5% of art thefts end with the recovery of items and the successful prosecution of criminals.
Shortly after the painting disappeared, a fragment of a canvas was sent to the church of San Lorenzo asking for a ransom. And that's the typical blackmail tactic of the mafia, like a finger or an ear they often send hostages.
Father Rocco, who went to the police station for help, was identified as a suspect and was investigated, and was even asked to leave fingerprints. Of course, because there was no conclusive evidence, the matter was not resolved. The police eventually apologized to Father Rocco and the clues disappeared.
Father Rocco.
As time went on, fewer people knew about the birth of Jesus theft. There are also many opinions about the whereabouts of The Nativity: it was burned by fire, abandoned in a farm shack, eaten by rats or pigs, used as a bedside carpet, locked in an iron box containing dollars and heroin, buried in the ground, sent to South Africa for diamonds, and so on.
The person who is most concerned about the whereabouts of the painting is Father Rocco. He believes that the painting was preserved in the home of Badalamenti, the "number one" of the Sicilian mafia. The reason is that the pastor in the neighboring town of Carini called Rocco in the early 1970s and said that he had come across a photograph that appeared to have the famous painting "Nativity" in the scene. The photo was brought by a man who claimed to be Badalamenti's men.
But then, the man disappeared into the vast sea of people and never reappeared.
Badalamenti.
This subordinate was Noneah. He deliberately revealed the photograph to the priest.
Later, arrested mafia members confessed that Birth of Jesus had been exhibited at meetings within the gang as a symbol of Badalamenti's power and prestige. It is also said that Badalamenti used Nativity as collateral for his drug dealings. Manoa said nothing.
He secretly took photos before handing over the "goods", then took a sum of money, and without even saying goodbye, disappeared into the fiery rivers and lakes.
However, Manoa is also secretly watching the whereabouts of "The Birth of Jesus". The results of the police investigation left both him and Father Rocco desperate. Due to the mixture of thieves, dealers, middlemen, mafia, collectors and many other complex characters, coupled with the intricate relationship between the mafia, the tracking of the painting was interrupted several times.
Of course, the key reason is that Badalamenti has a strong sense of prevention, and the power is difficult to shake for a while. His eyes were like torches, he was cruel enough to nail the hands of his subordinates to the floor, and he was the most popular underworld figure in Sicily at that time.
For many clues, the Italian police inevitably have a little bit of a sense of failure. This is one of the reasons Why Manoa chose silence. Besides, being a blatant whistleblower is not like a gentleman who keeps his promises, which is not in line with Manoah's consistent positioning of himself.
In the United States, however, Badalamenti is less arrogant. In 1984, he was arrested in New York on charges of smuggling heroin worth up to $1.65 billion into the United States. At this time, 15 years have passed since the theft of "The Birth of Jesus", and almost no one has mentioned the old story again. Father Rocco is dying of old age, and he is far away in Italy.
In 2004, Badalamenti died in a hospital in Massachusetts. The chances of "The Birth of Jesus" seeing the light of day again seem even slimmer.
Of course, after Badalamenti's death, some Italian mafia people who want to make atonement for their sins will still talk about "Nativity" from time to time. As authorities encouraged whistleblowing, an arrested mafia member named Grado confessed that Badalamenti had obtained the painting from another mafia leader and that the painting had been taken to an art dealer in Switzerland by Badalamenti.
"It was I who was in charge of showing that painting. The art dealer found that the painting was poorly preserved, and the paint had been removed in many places, so they cancelled the transaction. Grado said. But now the art dealer is dead.
Some people speculate that Badalamenti burned "Nativity" in one fell swoop, like treating a poster worth only ten dollars. It has also been suggested that Nativity has been circulated to Switzerland by art dealers and may now be in the home of a mysterious rich man.
All the clues are trivial, but put together to piece together a complete story. Several claims seem to corroborate each other, confirming that Badalamenti was at least the recipient of the theft. Of course, the painting has never been reproduced, and the theft of "The Birth of Jesus" is still a suspense case.
Famous paintings with digital repair on the computer screen.
The replica was prepared using a mixture of animal glue, pigment and calcium carbonate similar to the original painting.
In 2015, Nativity was digitally restored, with a replica hanging above the altar of the Church of San Lorenzo. The empty frame of the original canvas is saved in another room. Father Rocco, however, did not wait for this day. Previously, in 2013, Father Rocco passed away in regret and guilt.
Like the missing Nativity, no one knows where Manoa is, including the balding accomplices who used to work with Himoah. In his later years, he chose to live in a desolate place, avoiding the police and the curious eyes of the earthly world.
Manoa, who saw the news of the "Nativity" replica on television, was at the end of his life. His eyes widened, exactly the same as when he had watched the famous documentary. However, today's Manoa can't even speak badly, and walking is also stumbling.
He recalled that rainy night more than half a century ago, both proud and regretful. Proudly, his artistic vision is unique, his skills are also strong, he has done a lot of ticketing, and he has made a lot of money, which is enough for him to support himself. Unfortunately, he failed to protect this artistic treasure, so that "Nativity" went through several turns and almost sank into the sea. He felt guilty, and he had become the initiator of the violent creatures.
He even had a less reliable dream, which roughly consisted of the fact that when he proposed to the boss to steal "The Birth of Jesus", he had prepared the fake in advance using a production method similar to that described on television. The one given to the mafia boss is not the original. After you get the money, you will take the true work of "The Birth of Jesus" and fly away, so that "The Birth of Jesus" may find a reliable attribution and will not be missing.
Researchers studying and copying the painting.
"If this painting were in my hands now, I would voluntarily return it to the inhabitants of Palermo, Caravaggio and all mankind, and I would like to come to God and redeem my conscience and let this suspense end like a fairy tale."
Photo replica installed.
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