A Renaissance masterpiece stolen from an Italian museum over half a century ago has reemerged—not in a prestigious gallery or the hands of a wealthy collector, but at the heart of a contentious battle between an English widow and a small-town museum in northern Italy.

The artwork in question, Madonna and Child by Antonio Solario, vanished in 1973 from the Civic Museum of Belluno, a picturesque town nestled in the Dolomites. Decades later, it resurfaced in the English countryside, where it had been purchased by the late Baron de Dozsa and housed in his historic Tudor manor. Today, the painting remains in the possession of Barbara de Dozsa, the Baron’s former wife, despite being listed in Interpol’s database of stolen artworks.

A Stalemate Across Borders

Leading the charge for the painting’s return is Christopher Marinello, a lawyer specializing in art restitution and the head of Art Recovery International—a firm that has reclaimed works by artists such as Henri Matisse and Henry Moore. However, this case has proven to be especially frustrating.

"I have a family connection to this region, and I decided I was going to stick my two cents in and interfere," Marinello told the Associated Press.

His efforts, however, have led nowhere. De Dozsa, he claims, refuses to release the painting, despite admitting that she “never really liked it” and doesn’t display it because “it reminds her of her ex-husband.”

A Legal and Bureaucratic Limbo

The dispute took a dramatic turn when de Dozsa attempted to sell the painting at auction. The sale was swiftly halted, and Norfolk Constabulary, the local police force, intervened. Yet, instead of confiscating the artwork, British authorities returned it to de Dozsa. According to Norfolk police, because Italian authorities had not pursued the case in years, legal guidance advised against further action.

For Belluno, the painting holds significance beyond its market value. While the record price for a Solario work was set at just over $100,000 at a 2007 Sotheby’s auction in Milan, Belluno’s residents see Madonna and Child as an irreplaceable part of their cultural heritage.

A Fight for the Past

As it stands, the case remains at an impasse—a widow clinging to a painting she does not love, a lawyer determined to restore it to its rightful home, and a town fighting to reclaim its lost history. Whether Madonna and Child will ever return to Belluno, or remain in exile in England, now depends on the outcome of Marinello’s ongoing legal battle.