CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Italy and the Cleveland Museum of Art have announced that a 13th-century manuscript leaf representing the letter “A,” once part of a choral book located at a church near Siena, will be returned to Italy.
The work was originally acquired by the Cleveland museum in 1952. A collaborative research effort conducted by the ministry and the museum has led to its return to Italy. The piece was said to be stolen sometime in the 1930s, after which its whereabouts (and holders) were largely unknown.
A year ago, the museum was contacted by the Italian ministry, about the “Historiated Initial (A) Excised from a Responsorial: Christ in Majesty with Saints” in the CMA collection.
The work, which features ink, tempura and gold on parchment, was compared to other pages from the 1970s to determine its belonging to the Siena book.
The joint announcement was made on Thursday, October 31. Both parties have a cultural cooperation agreement that was signed in 2008.
In a statement, Dr. Paolo D’Angeli, head of the department for general administration of the ministry said the care to preserve the manuscript and willingness to work with the ministry “to determine the best outcome for all concerned” was greatly appreciated.
“The decision to [return it] reflects the many years of cooperation between the ministry and the museum,” Dr. D’Angeli said.
“We are pleased with the outreach and open dialogue, and I look forward to future cultural cooperation with our colleagues in the Ministry of Culture,” said Dr. William M. Griswold, director of the Cleveland Museum of Art.