Italy police recover stolen painting of Leonardo da Vinci school, museum unaware of theft

Italian police on Saturday (January 16) recovered a priceless painting of the Leonardo da Vinci school which had been stolen from the Basilica of San Domenico Maggiore in Naples.

The "Salvator Mundi" ("Saviour of the World" in Latin) painting was stolen in 2019 and was found hidden in a room of an apartment.

Italian authorities arrested the owner of the apartment, a 36-year-old Naples resident, who was tracked down not far from the house.

After the finding, policemen returned the artwork to the the basilica's Muscettola Chapel where it was stolen from.

The 15th-century artwork is a copy of the "Salvator Mundi" by Leonardo da Vinci, a portrait of Christ which became the most expensive painting in the world when it was sold for $450.3 million at auction in 2017.