Church and government officials in Italy have launched an investigation into claims that the face of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was painted on an angel during the restoration of a fresco in Rome. Italy's culture ministry has sent officers to inspect the artwork in a chapel of the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina, while the Diocese of Rome expressed its disappointment and said it would determine who had been responsible.
The artist, Bruno Valentinetti, said he had simply restored the fresco he painted in 2000 and denied modelling the angel after the prime minister. Meloni responded in a post on Instagram saying she was definitely not like an angel, accompanied by a laughing emoji.
The apparent likeness was first reported on Saturday by Italian newspaper La Repubblica, which ran before-and-after pictures of the fresco and claimed the angel holding a map of Italy had previously looked like a generic cherub. The parish priest said the paintings had simply been touched up following recent water damage - but said he did not understand the fuss in any case, stating that painters used to incorporate all sorts of images into their works.
Valentinetti, 83, denied the claims, asserting, The restored face is the one that was painted 25 years ago. Opposition parties were quick to urge an investigation. Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli ordered technical officials to inspect the painting to ascertain the nature of the intervention and determine next steps. The Diocese of Rome stated that the modification of the cherub's face was a decorator's initiative that had not been communicated to competent authorities. Cardinal Baldo Reina, the Pope's Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, will investigate further to identify any involved responsibilities.
The artist, Bruno Valentinetti, said he had simply restored the fresco he painted in 2000 and denied modelling the angel after the prime minister. Meloni responded in a post on Instagram saying she was definitely not like an angel, accompanied by a laughing emoji.
The apparent likeness was first reported on Saturday by Italian newspaper La Repubblica, which ran before-and-after pictures of the fresco and claimed the angel holding a map of Italy had previously looked like a generic cherub. The parish priest said the paintings had simply been touched up following recent water damage - but said he did not understand the fuss in any case, stating that painters used to incorporate all sorts of images into their works.
Valentinetti, 83, denied the claims, asserting, The restored face is the one that was painted 25 years ago. Opposition parties were quick to urge an investigation. Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli ordered technical officials to inspect the painting to ascertain the nature of the intervention and determine next steps. The Diocese of Rome stated that the modification of the cherub's face was a decorator's initiative that had not been communicated to competent authorities. Cardinal Baldo Reina, the Pope's Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, will investigate further to identify any involved responsibilities.
