Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni took to Instagram to distance herself from the work saying she "definitely did not look like an angel". Photo / @giorgiameloni
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni took to Instagram to distance herself from the work saying she "definitely did not look like an angel". Photo / @giorgiameloni
An investigation has been launched after an artist was accused of painting over a classical cherub to resemble Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Bruno Valentinetti was commissioned to restore a fresco mural he painted in the chapel of the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina 25 years ago, accordingto the BBC.
However, after local newspaper La Repubblica published before-and-after images of the disputed cherub in its weekend edition, officers from Italy’s Ministry of Culture were sent to inspect the work.
The paper claimed the angel, depicted holding a map of Italy, looked like a “generic cherub” before the retouching.
Meloni responded on Instagram saying: “No, I definitely do not look like an angel”, with crying-laughing emojis.
Valentinetti, 83, denied he modelled the cherub on the Prime Minister, saying he painted the exact face as the original from 2000.
“Who says it resembles Meloni?” he asked.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took to Instagram to distance herself from the work, saying she did "not look like an angel". Photo / @giorgiameloni
The BBC reported the Diocese of Rome had expressed its “disappointment” at the incident.
The diocese said while it was aware the fresco was being restored, it had not approved any additions or changes.
“The modification of the cherub’s face was the decorator’s initiative, not communicated to the competent authorities,” it said in a statement.
The Pope’s Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, was tasked with determining the “possible responsibilities of those involved”.
Basilica of St Lawrence parish priest Monsignor Daniele Micheletti said he did not “understand the fuss” surrounding the touch-ups, saying “painters used to put all sorts of things in frescoes”.
However, the diocese said Cardinal Reina wished to “distance himself from Monsignor Micheletti’s statements”, noting its “commitment to the protection of its artistic and spiritual heritage” from misappropriation.
Opposition parties also called for an investigation, with Democratic Party member Irene Manzi saying the situation was “unacceptable”.
Another political party, the Five Star Movement, said art should not be used as a “tool for propaganda”, whether or not it depicted Meloni.
Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli instructed “technical officials” to visit the basilica to observe the fresco and “ascertain the nature of the intervention”.
Investigations are also looking to establish what the original 2000 cherub looked like.
The Guardian reported the basilica that houses the fresco was consecrated by Pope Sixtus III in 440.
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