A mystery surrounds Gargnano regarding the painting “Job in the Mire,” created by Jusepe de Ribera, which went missing in 1945. During World War II, the artwork was housed at Palazzo Bettoni Cazzago in Bogliaco, where it was cataloged on April 26, 1945. However, between that date and the subsequent inventory on June 5, the painting was reported missing. The canvas was considered of priceless value, but it remains unclear whether it was stolen or destroyed during that turbulent period.
Recently, Bruno Festa filed a report with the Carabinieri in Salò to shed light on the matter. In 2005, a painting with the same subject appeared at an auction in Venice, incorrectly attributed to Francesco Fracanzano. Experts believe that the artwork sold at auction could be a copy of the original canvas stolen from Gargnano. Despite the passage of eighty years since its disappearance and twenty years since the Venetian auction, the issue of the painting’s ownership remains unresolved and under investigation.
