Gianni Cipriano Photography | Archive

  • Archive
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • About
  • Contact
  • PORTFOLIO
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Search Results

Refine Search
Match all words
Match any word
Prints
Personal Use
Royalty-Free
Rights-Managed
(leave unchecked to
search all images)
Next
209 images found
twitterlinkedinfacebook

Loading ()...

  • NAPLES, ITALY - 20 DECEMBER 2017: Visitors are seen here in the Royal Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius, or the Reale cappella del Tesoro di San Gennaro, located in the Cathedral of Naples, Italy, and dedicated to St. Januarius, patron saint of the city, in Naples, Italy, on December 20th 2017.<br />
<br />
Januarius, who lived between the 3rd and 5th century AD, is the patron saint of Naples, where the faithful gather three times a year in Naples Cathedral to witness the liquefaction of what is claimed to be a sample of his blood kept in a sealed glass ampoule.
    CIPG_20171220_NAPOLI-Misc_M3_4214.jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: Monica Bietti, former director of the Bargello Museums (which overses the Medici Chapel) points at the toe of the allegorical figure of Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight, which graces the tomb of Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours, at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole nig
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: The tomb of Lorenzo the Magnificent, the poweful ruler of Florence who lifted the Medici dynasty and largely bankrolled the Renaissance, is seen here at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: Michelangelo's rising Dawn marble statue, which adorns - together a bearded Dusk - the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, is seen here after being restored at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: (R-L) The recently restored tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, and the tomb of Lorenzo the Magnificent, the poweful ruler of Florence who lifted the Medici dynasty and largely bankrolled the Renaissance, are seen here at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: Michelangelo's rising Dawn marble statue, which adorns - together a bearded Dusk - the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, is seen here after being restored at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: A palette behind an altar was used by biologists and restorers to try out the top eight bacterial candidates for the restoration of Michelangelo's masterpiece at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: A palette behind an altar was used by biologists and restorers to try out the top eight bacterial candidates for the restoration of Michelangelo's masterpiece at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: A restorer point at at a palette behind an altar where biologists and restorers tried out the top eight bacterial candidates, here at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: A tourist admires the tomb of Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours, recently restored at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021. The sarcophagus is  graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: Michelangelo's rising Dawn marble statue, which adorns - together a bearded Dusk - the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, is seen here after being restored at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: (L-R) The recently restored tomb of Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemour, and the tomb of Lorenzo the Magnificent, the poweful ruler of Florence who lifted the Medici dynasty and largely bankrolled the Renaissance, are seen here at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: A detail of the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, designed by Michelangelo and recently restored with the use of bacteria, is seen here at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: Michelangelo's bearded Dusk marble statue, which adorns - together a rising Dawn - the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, is seen here after being restored at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: Michelangelo's rising Dawn marble statue, which adorns - together a bearded Dusk - the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, is seen here after being restored at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: A palette behind an altar was used by biologists and restorers to try out the top eight bacterial candidates for the restoration of Michelangelo's masterpiece at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: A palette behind an altar was used by biologists and restorers to try out the top eight bacterial candidates for the restoration of Michelangelo's masterpiece at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: Stains in the back of the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, shows how dirty it was before being recently restored at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: Stains in the back of the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, shows how dirty it was before being recently restored at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: A black square of grime in the back of the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, shows how dirty it was before being recently restored at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: A black square of grime in the back of the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, shows how dirty it was before being recently restored at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: The tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, adorned with Michelangelo's allegorical sculptures of Dusk and Dawn and recently restored with the use of bacteria, is seen here at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: The tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, adorned with Michelangelo's allegorical sculptures of Dusk and Dawn and recently restored with the use of bacteria, is seen here at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: The tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, adorned with Michelangelo's allegorical sculptures of Dusk and Dawn and recently restored with the use of bacteria, is seen here at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: Tourists admire the tomb of Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours, recently restored at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021. The sarcophagus is  graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,�
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: Restorer Marina Vincenti (61) points at the back of the the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino , where a black square of grime shows how dirty it was before being recently restored, here at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: Tourist admire the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici,  Duke of Urbino, adorned with Michelangelo's allegorical sculptures of Dusk and Dawn and recently restored with the use of bacteria, here at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021. <br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: Michelangelo's bearded Dusk marble statue, which adorns - together a rising Dawn - the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, is seen here after being restored at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to the Medici Chapel in mid-October. The biologist and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria, isolated from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia, to the soiled sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.<br />
<br />
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, one of the restorers.
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • FLORENCE, ITALY - 24 MAY 2021: (L-R) The all-woman team - composed of Donata Magrini (40, researcher at the Institute of Heritage Science at the National Research Council), Anna Rosa Sprocati (67, researcher at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies), Daniela Manna (56, restorer), Paola D'Agostino (Director of the Bargello Museums), Monica Bietti (former Director of the Bargello Museums) and Marina Vincenti (61, restorer) - poses for a group portrait in front of the tomb of Lorenzo De Medici, Duke of Urbino, adorned with Michelangelo's allegorical sculptures of Dusk and Dawn and recently restored with the use of bacteria, here at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy, on May 24th 2021.<br />
<br />
An all-woman team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and phosphates — if not flesh — as a bioweapon against centuries of stains, applying painstakingly tested and selected strains to the universally recognized masterpieces of Renaissance artist Michelangelo.<br />
<br />
The team - composed of the former and current directors of the Bargello Museum in Florence (which overseees the Medici Chapel, a biologist with the bio-restoration group at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, a scientifist of Italy’s National Research Council and two restorers - tested the bugs in November 2019 on the marble floor behind the altar but also on Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with reclining allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shined in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11 bacteria, isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.<br />
<br />
When Covid hit in February 2020, the museum closed and the project slowed down. The bugs got back to th
    CIPG_20210524_NYT_Michelangelo-Bacte...jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A detail of the original wooden frame from which Caraveggio's "Nativity" was cut, here in a chapel adjacent the oratory where it was stolen, in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2818.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A detail of the original wooden frame from which Caraveggio's "Nativity" was cut, here in a chapel adjacent the oratory where it was stolen, in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2810.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: The original wooden frame of Caraveggio's stolen "Nativity" hangs in a chapel adjacent the oratory where it was stolen, in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2753.jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 13 MARCH 2013: A puff of white smoke comes out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave is taking place, announces to the outer world that a new Pope has been elected, in Vatican City, on March 13, 2013. The 115 cardinals picked a new pope among their midst on the second day of the conclave, choosing Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina, the first South American pope to lead the church. Jose Mario Bergoglio, called Francis I, is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church...On March 12, 2013, the 115 cardinals entered the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130313_ADAC_Conclave__MG_6061.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A detail of the original wooden frame from which Caraveggio's "Nativity" was cut, here in a chapel adjacent the oratory where it was stolen, in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2808.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A detail of the original wooden frame from which Caraveggio's "Nativity" was cut, here in a chapel adjacent the oratory where it was stolen, in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2796.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A detail of the original wooden frame from which Caraveggio's "Nativity" was cut, here in a chapel adjacent the oratory where it was stolen, in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2777.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: The original wooden frame of Caraveggio's stolen "Nativity" (right) hangs next to a Nativity commissioned to a contemporary artist by the cultural association "Amici dei Musei Siciliani" in a chapel adjacent the oratory where it was stolen, in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2766...jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 13 MARCH 2013: Thousands of rain-soaked faithfuls wait for the announcement of the new pope after a puff  of white smoke came out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave took place, announcing to the outer world that a new Pope had been elected, in Vatican City, on March 13, 2013. The 115 cardinals picked a new pope among their midst on the second day of the conclave, choosing Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina, the first South American pope to lead the church. Jose Mario Bergoglio, called Francis I, is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church...On March 12, 2013, the 115 cardinals entered the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130313_ADAC_Conclave__MG_6458.jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 13 MARCH 2013: Thousands of rain-soaked faithfuls in Saint Peter's square cheer as a puff of white smoke comes out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave is taking place, announcing to the outer world that a new Pope has been elected, in Vatican City, on March 13, 2013. The 115 cardinals picked a new pope among their midst on the second day of the conclave, choosing Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina, the first South American pope to lead the church. Jose Mario Bergoglio, called Francis I, is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church...On March 12, 2013, the 115 cardinals entered the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130313_ADAC_Conclave__MG_6325.jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 13 MARCH 2013: Thousands of rain-soaked faithfuls in Saint Peter's square cheer as a puff of white smoke comes out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave is taking place, announcing to the outer world that a new Pope has been elected, in Vatican City, on March 13, 2013. The 115 cardinals picked a new pope among their midst on the second day of the conclave, choosing Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina, the first South American pope to lead the church. Jose Mario Bergoglio, called Francis I, is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church...On March 12, 2013, the 115 cardinals entered the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130313_ADAC_Conclave__MG_6286.jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 13 MARCH 2013: Thousands of rain-soaked faithfuls wait for the announcement of the new pope after a puff  of white smoke came out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave took place, announcing to the outer world that a new Pope had been elected, in Vatican City, on March 13, 2013. The 115 cardinals picked a new pope among their midst on the second day of the conclave, choosing Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina, the first South American pope to lead the church. Jose Mario Bergoglio, called Francis I, is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church...On March 12, 2013, the 115 cardinals entered the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130313_ADAC_Conclave__MG_6220.jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 13 MARCH 2013: Sister Laura (center, from Colombia), who studies philosophy and theology at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, cheers together with thousands of other rain-soaked faithfuls in Saint Peter's square as a puff of white smoke comes out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave is taking place, announcing to the outer world that a new Pope has been elected, in Vatican City, on March 13, 2013. The 115 cardinals picked a new pope among their midst on the second day of the conclave, choosing Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina, the first South American pope to lead the church. Jose Mario Bergoglio, called Francis I, is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church...On March 12, 2013, the 115 cardinals entered the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130313_ADAC_Conclave__MG_6171.jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 12 MARCH 2013: (Front row, from center to right) Sisters Monica (from Spain), Laura (from Colombia) and Kenya (from Nicaragua), who study philisophy and theology at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, cheer as they see the first "fumata" (or smoke) from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, which is the announcement to the outer world by a conclave that a Papal has or hasn't been elected (white smoke if it has been elected; black smoke if it hasn't), in Vatican City, on March 12, 2013. ..On March 12, 2013, the 115 cardinals entered the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130312_ADAC_Conclave__MG_5088.jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 12 MARCH 2013: After the Pro Eligendo Pontifice Mass, or the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff, the 115 cardinals walk towards the Domus Sanctae Marthae (or Saint Marta's House), a guest house for the cardinals during the conclave,   before entering Sistine Chapel in the afternoon, in Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, on March 12, 2013...After the mass, the 115 cardinals are set to enter the Conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130312_ADAC_Conclave__MG_4302.jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 12 MARCH 2013: After the Pro Eligendo Pontifice Mass, or the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff, the 115 cardinals walk towards the Domus Sanctae Marthae (or Saint Marta's House), a guest house for the cardinals during the conclave,   before entering Sistine Chapel in the afternoon, in Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, on March 12, 2013...After the mass, the 115 cardinals are set to enter the Conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130312_ADAC_Conclave__MG_4290.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: The original wooden frame of Caraveggio's stolen "Nativity" hangs in a chapel adjacent the oratory where it was stolen, in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2763.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: The original wooden frame of Caraveggio's stolen "Nativity" hangs in a chapel adjacent the oratory where it was stolen, in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2744.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Rosy Bindi, President of the Antimafia Commission,  is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo where she presented the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3530.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: (R-L) Rosy Bindi (President of the Antimafia Commission), Leoluca Orlando (Mayor of Palermo) and Ludovico Gippetto (President of a Palermo cultural association called Extroart) are seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the Antimafia Commission presented the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3509.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: The Antimafia Commission presents the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, here at the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3452...jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando (2nd from right) is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the Antimafia Commission will present the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3316.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Ludovico Gippetto, President of a Palermo cultural association called Extroart, is seen here as he searches his archive in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
Mr. Gippetto has also adopted Caravaggio’s “Nativity” for his project “Wanted,” a publicity campaign that involves periodically peppering Palermo with posters of looted artworks on the premise that the better known a work of art is, the harder it is to sell on the black market. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3219.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Ludovico Gippetto, President of a Palermo cultural association called Extroart, poses for a portrait in his studio in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
Mr. Gippetto has also adopted Caravaggio’s “Nativity” for his project “Wanted,” a publicity campaign that involves periodically peppering Palermo with posters of looted artworks on the premise that the better known a work of art is, the harder it is to sell on the black market. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3166.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Bernardo Tortorici di Raffadali, President of the "Amici dei Musei Siciliani" association, poses for a portrait by   a reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity", here in a room adjacent the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2916.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018:  A reproduction of s portion of Caravaggio's "Nativity" (right) and in its original size (left) are seen here in a room adjacent the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018. According to a Mafia turncoat, Caravaggio's "Nativity" was cut into several pieces because it couldn't sell otherwise.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2873.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018:  A reproduction of s portion of Caravaggio's "Nativity" is seen here in a room adjacent the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018. According to a Mafia turncoat, Caravaggio's "Nativity" was cut into several pieces because it couldn't sell otherwise.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2863.jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 13 MARCH 2013: Argentinian catholic faithfuls wait for the "fumata" ,(or smoke), which is the announcement to the outer world by a conclave that a Papal has or hasn't been elected (white smoke if it has been electe; black smoke if it hasn't), in Saint Peter's square  in Vatican City, on March 13, 2013...On March 12, 2013, the 115 cardinals entered the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130313_ADAC_Conclave__MG_5914.jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 13 MARCH 2013: A view of the cemetery of the Collegio Teutonico, or German College - the oldest German foundation in Rome, established and maintained at the Vatican for the education of future ecclesiastics of the Roman Catholic Church of German nationality, in Vatican City, on March 13, 2013. The college continues to assist poor Germans who come to Rome, either to visit the holy places or in search of occupation...On March 12, 2013, the 115 cardinals entered the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130313_ADAC_Conclave__MG_5359.jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 12 MARCH 2013: After the Pro Eligendo Pontifice Mass, or the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff, the Swiss guards march from the nave towards the exit of Saint Peter's Basilica, in Vatican City, on March 12, 2013...After the mass, the 115 cardinals are set to enter the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130312_ADAC_Conclave__MG_4409.jpg
  • VATICAN CITY - 12 MARCH 2013: (L-R) A Swiss guard and a Vatican gendarme monitor Saint Peter's Basilica during the Pro Eligendo Pontifice Mass, or the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff, with the 115 cardinals that will elect the new Pope, in Vatican City, on March 12, 2013...After the mass, 115 cardinals are set to enter the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI after he became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role. The conclave will take place inside the Sistine Chapel and will be attended by 115 cardinals as they vote to select the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.
    CIPG_20130312_ADAC_Conclave__MG_4026.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity" is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180531_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3629.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity" is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180531_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3627.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity" is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180531_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3624.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity" is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180531_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3619.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity" is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180531_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3617.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity" is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180531_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3613.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A statue is seen here by the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where Caravaggio's "Nativity was stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3603.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: (L-R) Rosy Bindi (President of the Antimafia Commission), Bernardo Tortorici di Raffadali (President of the "Amici dei Musei Siciliani" association) and Leoluca Orlando (Mayor of Palermo) are seen here after the Antimafia Commission's presentation of the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3582.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: (L-R) Rosy Bindi (President of the Antimafia Commission) and Leoluca Orlando (Mayor of Palermo) chat after the Antimafia Commission's presentation of the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3566.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: (R-L) Mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando and Bernardo Tortorici di Raffadali (President of the "Amici dei Musei Siciliani" association) are seen here in the room adjacent the Oratory of San Lorenzo where the original frame of the Caravaggio's "Nativity" hangs, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3551.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: (R-L) Mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando and Bernardo Tortorici di Raffadali (President of the "Amici dei Musei Siciliani" association) are seen here in the room adjacent the Oratory of San Lorenzo where the original frame of the Caravaggio's "Nativity" hangs, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3541.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando (left) and Ludovico Gippetto (right, President of a Palermo cultural association called Extroart) are seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the Antimafia Commission presented the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3525.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando (left) and President of the Antimafia Commission Rosy Bindi (center) are seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the Antimafia Commission will present the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3481.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: The Antimafia Commission presents the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, here at the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3461.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: at the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3452.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: The Antimafia Commission will present the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, here at the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3439.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando (left) and President of the Antimafia Commission Rosy Bindi (center) are seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the Antimafia Commission will present the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3387.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Rosy Bindi, President of the Antimafia Commission,  is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo where she will present the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3340.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the Antimafia Commission will present the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3324.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the Antimafia Commission will present the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3309.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Two Carabinieris (police officers) secure the area in proximity of the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the Antimafia Commission will present the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3297.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Two Carabinieris (police officers) secure the area in proximity of the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the Antimafia Commission will present the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3287.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Children walk by two Carabinieris (police officers) that are securing the area in proximity of the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the Antimafia Commission will present the results of an investigation on Caravaggio's "Nativity" stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3278.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Ludovico Gippetto, President of a Palermo cultural association called Extroart, poses for a portrait at the entrance of Extroart in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
Mr. Gippetto has also adopted Caravaggio’s “Nativity” for his project “Wanted,” a publicity campaign that involves periodically peppering Palermo with posters of looted artworks on the premise that the better known a work of art is, the harder it is to sell on the black market. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3238.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity" used for Ludovico Gippetto's "Wanted" project, is seen here at Extrart, a cultural association in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
Mr. Gippetto has also adopted Caravaggio’s “Nativity” for his project “Wanted,” a publicity campaign that involves periodically peppering Palermo with posters of looted artworks on the premise that the better known a work of art is, the harder it is to sell on the black market. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3218.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Ludovico Gippetto, President of a Palermo cultural association called Extroart, poses for a portrait in his studio in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
Mr. Gippetto has also adopted Caravaggio’s “Nativity” for his project “Wanted,” a publicity campaign that involves periodically peppering Palermo with posters of looted artworks on the premise that the better known a work of art is, the harder it is to sell on the black market. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3191.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Ludovico Gippetto, President of a Palermo cultural association called Extroart, poses for a portrait in his studio in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
Mr. Gippetto has also adopted Caravaggio’s “Nativity” for his project “Wanted,” a publicity campaign that involves periodically peppering Palermo with posters of looted artworks on the premise that the better known a work of art is, the harder it is to sell on the black market. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3186.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Ludovico Gippetto, President of a Palermo cultural association called Extroart, poses for a portrait in his studio in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
Mr. Gippetto has also adopted Caravaggio’s “Nativity” for his project “Wanted,” a publicity campaign that involves periodically peppering Palermo with posters of looted artworks on the premise that the better known a work of art is, the harder it is to sell on the black market. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3181.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Ludovico Gippetto, President of a Palermo cultural association called Extroart, is seen here with a reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity" used for his "Wanted" project, here at Extroart in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
Mr. Gippetto has also adopted Caravaggio’s “Nativity” for his project “Wanted,” a publicity campaign that involves periodically peppering Palermo with posters of looted artworks on the premise that the better known a work of art is, the harder it is to sell on the black market. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3175.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Ludovico Gippetto, President of a Palermo cultural association called Extroart, opens the door of his studio in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
Mr. Gippetto has also adopted Caravaggio’s “Nativity” for his project “Wanted,” a publicity campaign that involves periodically peppering Palermo with posters of looted artworks on the premise that the better known a work of art is, the harder it is to sell on the black market. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3105.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity" is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the original was stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3029.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: A reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity" is seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the original was stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_3027.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Bernardo Tortorici di Raffadali, President of the "Amici dei Musei Siciliani" association, poses for a portrait by   a reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity", here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2999.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Bernardo Tortorici di Raffadali, President of the "Amici dei Musei Siciliani" association, poses for a portrait by   a reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity", here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2956.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Stucco figures are seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where Caravaggio's "Nativity" was stole in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2940.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Stucco figures are seen here in the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where Caravaggio's "Nativity" was stole in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2932.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Bernardo Tortorici di Raffadali, President of the "Amici dei Musei Siciliani" association, poses for a portrait by   a reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity", here in a room adjacent the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018. <br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2902.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Two Nativities, commissioned by the association "Amici dei Musei Siciliani" are seen here in a room adjacent the Oratory of San Lorenzo, where the original Caravaggio "Nativity" was stolen in 1969, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2848.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: Bernardo Tortorici di Raffadali, President of the "Amici dei Musei Siciliani" association, shows a portion of  a reproduction of Caravaggio's "Nativity", here in a room adjacent the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018. According to a Mafia turncoat, Caravaggio's "Nativity" was cut into several pieces because it couldn't sell otherwise.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2830.jpg
  • PALERMO, ITALY - 30 MAY 2018: at the Oratory of San Lorenzo, in Palermo, Italy, on May 30th 2018.<br />
<br />
In October 1969 thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo, a small chapel in Palermo’s then dilapidated Kalsa quarter, and made off with one of the city’s artistic masterpieces: Caravaggio’s “Nativity” altarpiece.<br />
<br />
Nearly 50 years after it was stolen, possible evidence suggests that Caravaggio Nativity may have been cut up and sold, according to Gaetano Grado, a Mafia. turncoat. The Antimafia Commission checked out on various fronts Mr. Grado's accounts, and Rosy Bindi, the president of the Antimafia Commission, presented the findings of the commission — published in May — at the Oratory where the Nativity once hung.
    CIPG_20180530_NYT-Caravaggio_M3_2766.jpg
Next