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Workers discovered the painting in December in
a plastic bag concealed inside the wall of the Ricci Oddi
Gallery from which it was stolen in 1997. They came across a
little door which revealed the masterpiece, while clearing the
ivy off the outside wall.
The mayor of Piacenza, Patrizia Barbieri, and the head of
culture, Jonathan Papamarenghi, hailed the "historic" news and
vowed to make the 1917 portrait of a young woman a centerpiece
of the city's heritage.
"After the joy of the find ... the conflicting rumors of these
days have fueled even more suspense over a story that has
mysterious aspects," the two local officials wrote in a
statement.
When the painting vanished 23 years ago police said they
believed thieves had used a fishing line to hook it off the wall
and haul it up through an open skylight to the gallery roof
where the frame was discarded.
A skilled forgery of the painting, wrapped up and posted to a
disgraced politician, was seized by authorities a month later,
adding to the mystery.
When the workers found the real painting, Papamarenghi said he
was impressed by its excellent condition after decades lying in
a wall.
He said it was second on the list of the most valuable artworks
missing in Italy, behind a work by Caravaggio stolen from a
church in Sicily in 1969.
The Klimt is considered particularly important because shortly
before its disappearance an art student realized it was painted
over another work previously believed lost - a portrait of a
young lady that had not been seen since 1912 - making it the
only "double" Klimt known to the art world.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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