La "Madonna del Velo". Presentation of the restoration

The ‘Madonna del Velo’ is reborn at the Steri: the University of Palermo presents the restoration of this precious testimony to Raphael's lost masterpiece.

The restoration, the result of a collaboration between Unipa Heritage - University Museum System, the Degree Course in Conservation and Restoration and the Superintendency of Cultural Heritage, returns a key work of 17th-century Palermo to the city.

On Thursday 29 January 2026, at 10:30 a.m., the Church of St. Anthony the Abbot at the Steri Monumental Complex (Piazza Marina, 61) will be the setting for the presentation and delivery of the restored painting of the “Madonna del Velo”.

The initiative represents a moment of excellence in the project to enhance the historical and artistic heritage of the University, promoted by Unipa Heritage in close collaboration with the Master's Degree Course (CLM) in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage and the Superintendency for Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Palermo.

THE WORK AND ITS RESTORATION

The painting, a canvas by an unknown artist dating back to the late 16th century, is one of the rare and most significant reproductions of Raphael's famous Madonna del Velo, the original masterpiece by the Urbino master that has now been irretrievably lost. The painting depicts the moment of the Virgin's adoration of the Child in the presence of St John, also an infant. Historically exhibited in the Rector's Hall and part of the Royal University's art gallery, the work has undergone meticulous restoration, the subject of Dr Giuditta Ermio's degree thesis. The restoration was carried out as part of the “PFP2” professional training course for third-year students, under the technical direction of cultural heritage restorers and contract lecturers at the University, Dr Sabrina Sottile, Antonella Tumminello and Cristina Catanzaro, supervisor Prof. Carl Alexander Auf Der Heyde, and with the technical and scientific advice of lecturers Bartolomeo Megna, Giuseppe Lazzara and Dr. Gaetano Bongiovanni, Art Historian. The work was supervised by Dr Maria Reginella and Dr Maria Concetta Lotà of the Superintendence of Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Palermo. 

Two mysteries surround the work, the first concerning the author and the history of this canvas, which has always been part of the University's heritage since its foundation. On the one hand, the creation of the painting in the context of Palermo, which in the late 16th century was experiencing a period of Raphaelism, as evidenced by the presence of the “Spasimo di Sicilia” and numerous copies of other Raphael-inspired subjects, suggests the existence of a school of copyists in Palermo. On the other hand, the pictorial execution of our work and the use of a particular pigment for the sky, which is believed to be Smaltino, suggest a second hypothesis that would, on the contrary, place the artist in the Veneto area.

Another “veil” is the mystery surrounding the history of the original work. It is not known where the work was located before its disappearance, nor the name of the patron for whom it was created. There are several rumours that even lead us to believe that the work does not exist, but there is evidence, in the form of the preparatory drawing exhibited in 1870 at the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence. In 1895, the cartoon was exhibited at the Uffizi Galleries, only to disappear permanently following the events of the war.
 

Another hypothesis is that the lost Madonna del Velo was the oldest prototype for the Madonna with the Blue Diadem, created during Raphael's Florentine period and now preserved in the Louvre Museum.

The investigation not only allowed for the aesthetic and material restoration of the artefact, but also revealed the existence of 14 other copies around the world. These copies are of two types: those that closely adhere to the 16th-century model and versions with variations on the theme. An example of the first type is the Madonna del Velo in the collection of the Princeton University Art Museum, which is believed to have been created by Raphael's workshop based on the lost original. The Palermo copy is one of the best examples of the second type.

THE CEREMONY PROGRAMME

The event will feature speeches by leading academic authorities and those involved in the restoration:
Institutional greetings:
•    Prof. Massimo Midiri, Rector of the University of Palermo;
•    Prof. Michelangelo Gruttadauria, President of Unipa Heritage - University Museum System;
•    Prof. Giuseppe Lazzara, Coordinator of the Course of Studies in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage.

This will be followed by a brief technical description by Dr Giuditta Ermio.