Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence
1609 Oratory of San Lorenzo
About this artwork
This monumental oil painting, thought to be one of Caravaggio's last works, depicts the Nativity of Jesus with Saints Francis and Lawrence. It was famously stolen in 1969 from the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo, Italy, and remains one of the most significant unsolved art crimes in history.
Did you know?
Caravaggio's 'Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence' holds a somber distinction as one of the world's most famous stolen artworks. On the night of October 17, 1969, two thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo and cut the masterpiece from its frame. Despite numerous investigations and appeals, including a reward offered by the FBI, the painting has never been recovered, with its fate shrouded in mystery and rumored connections to the Sicilian Mafia.
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Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence
Michelangelo da Caravaggio, 1609
