Government and church officials have launched an investigation into a restored fresco in a church in Rome where an angel has taken on features that closely resemble Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, writes BBC.
Italy’s Culture Ministry has sent representatives to examine the artwork in the chapel of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, while the Diocese of Rome has expressed disappointment and said it will find out who is responsible.
Artist Bruno Valentinetti said he was simply restoring a fresco he painted himself in 2000 and denied that the angel was drawn using the prime minister as a model. Meloni shared a picture of the restored fresco on Instagram and noted that it certainly does not look like an angel.
The clear resemblance was first reported on the 31st of January by the newspaper La Repubblica, which also published before and after pictures of the fresco, and said that the angel holding a map of Italy had previously looked like an average cherub. The parish priest, Monsignor Daniele Micheletti, said the drawings had simply been restored after recent water damage, adding that
he did not understand what the fuss was about anyway – artists have always painted different things on frescoes.
Valentinetti insisted that he had only restored a drawing that had been painted 25 years ago and asked who was saying that the angel looked like Meloni.
Opposition parties have been quick to call for an investigation. A spokeswoman for the Democratic Party said the situation was unacceptable, while the Five Star Movement said that art should not become propaganda, regardless of whether Meloni was depicted in the painting. Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has ordered technical inspectors to inspect the painting to determine the next steps.
The Diocese of Rome said it was aware of the restoration work but was told nothing would be changed or added. The change in the cherub’s facial features was the artist’s own initiative, which was not coordinated with the responsible authorities.
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