Missing Italian Baroque Masterpiece is Discovered in New Rochelle

“Dr. Thomas Ruggio elaborates on his discovery of Cesare Dandini’s elusive oil painting, Holy Family with the Infant St. John, which has topped the art community’s wild horse chase list since the ‘60s.”

On Sept. 29, Director and Associate Professor of Visual Arts at Iona University, Thomas Ruggio delivered a riveting academic lecture, “Rediscovering A Masterpiece: Cesare Dandini’s Holy Family with the Infant St. John”, at St. John’s University. He recounts his discovery of the Italian baroque masterpiece, previously assumed to be lost for good—until January 2020. Professor Ruggio stunned art historians around the world when he realized that Cesare Dandini’s acclaimed painting, Holy Family with the Infant St. John was fully intact, hanging on a wall at the Church of the Holy Family, in New Rochelle, New York. 

Dr. Teresa Delgado, who serves as the Dean and Professor at the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, and St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,
presented the opening remarks of the lecture. She spent nearly 30 years as the church’s parishioner, and had grown accustomed to seeing the painting on the wall. Delgado describes it as a “beautiful piece of artistic expression”, and hadn’t thought to examine its origins before. Dr. Delgado praises Professor Ruggio’s discovery, calling it “a lesson in widening the lens, opening the aperture, and allowing other perspectives in.”

International art scholars and museum curators had been unsuccesfully searching for the painting since the 1960s. Unknown to the art community, Dandini’s work was in plain sight. Professor Ruggio had visited the Church of the Holy Family several times but hadn’t observed anything unusual. However, while he was embracing a moment of quiet reflection inside the church, a bright glare illuminated the canvas. It dawned on Professor Ruggio, upon closer inspection, that he was in the presence of a highly sought-after 17th century rarity. He recalled seeing similar works during his trips to Italy, and was therefore able to identify the piece as Italian Baroque. Professor Ruggio knew he had a project on his hands. He immediately began snapping photographs on his cell phone to distribute to colleagues in Italy and Manhattan.

Professor Ruggio was determined to unearth the origins of this enigma. Through extensive research and collaboration with art historian colleagues, Professor Ruggio learned that Dandini began creating his work in Florence, Italy in the 1630s. A wave of Black Death had consumed the city, potentially the inspiration for including St. John in the piece. The patron saint of Florence represents safety and protection for the suffering residents. Holy Family, enlivened with a blushing color palette and realistic contours, depicts Joseph, Mary, Jesus, and the baby, St. John the Baptist. Mary is cradling the infant Jesus, while the baby St. John the Baptist hovers at her knees. The Virgin’s face is still and inquisitive, gazing upwards to the Heavens. She is seeking the solace of God, as she battles uncertainty regarding the future of her newborn son.

Infant Jesus is clutching a small goldfinch, which symbolizes the soul, crucifixion, and resurrection. A central motif that Dandini expresses through the characters and their accouterments, is rebirth, hope, and beginning anew. According to Professor Ruggio’s research, Holy Family was hung behind an altar where citizens regularly traveled to pray. Dr. Delgado draws a parallel between the effects of COVID-19 and the Black Death period, “Today, nearly 400 years later, as we emerge from the darkness of our modern pandemic, we can compare the losses and resilience of our University's community to that of the city of Florence.” 

Professor Ruggio’s tendency to roam and survey inside religious buildings led him to a revolutionary finding—one of the most groundbreaking of his career, resulting in an unexpected treasure for the art world. Cesare Dandini’s painting, one of several in his collection of masterworks, mysteriously made the voyage from Italy to southeastern New York. Holy Family stood as an emblem of faith during its primitive days, and Professor Ruggio’s discovery emphasizes the notion that, like hope, it’s never completely lost, just waiting to be realized.