Italy police recover stolen masterpieces

By ARIEL DAVID - January 14, 2009

ROME (AP) — Italian police have recovered 10 masterpieces, including a painting attributed to an artist who worked on the Sistine Chapel, that were stolen in 2004 from an ancient religious complex in Rome, officials said Tuesday.

The most important among the recovered works is the "Sacred Family," depicting Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. The work has been attributed to 16th-century artist Parmigianino. However, Rome museum official Claudio Strinati later told reporters that it was more likely the work of Flemish master Hendrick van den Broeck, a friend of Parmigianino who also decorated the entrance of the Sistine Chapel, best known for the frescoes painted there by Michelangelo. Strinati is an expert in 16th-century art.

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