It is not often political leaders are portrayed as angels – usually quite the opposite.
That’s maybe why an almighty row has broken out in Italy over a church fresco which looks suspiciously like Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
A painting in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome, was spotted withthe striking resemblance after undergoing repairs.
The artwork portrays Umberto II, who reigned as Italy’s final king for just 34 days, and is meant to feature two cherub-like angels watching over him.
The newspaper La Repubblica, who first reported on the angel, said: ‘Before the restoration, there was a generic cherub. Today, it is the face of the most powerful woman in the country.’
The volunteer restorer who freshened up the fresco denied depicting Meloni and said he was just restoring ‘what was there 25 years ago’.
Bruno Valentinetti said: ‘They asked me to fix it and I did. I worked on it for two years and finished the work a year ago.’
He stressed ‘it’s not Meloni’ and described how he ‘traced’ the outline of’original design’ and ‘put the colour back in’.
The church’s rector Monsignor Daniele Micheletti said he had asked for the chapel to be restored exactly as it was.
He said on Saturday: ‘I went to see the restoration this morning.
‘There is indeed a certain resemblance, but we should ask the restorer why he did it that way; I don’t know.’
Father Micheletti said the restoration was needed due to water damage, and that it dated back to 2000 so was not under heritage protection.
However Italian authorities have launched an investigation into what happened and members of the opposition have even called for an inquiry.
One opposition lawmaker, Irene Manzi, called the touch-up ‘unacceptable’.
The Five Star Movement party said: ‘We cannot allow art and culture to risk becoming a tool for propaganda or anything else, regardless of whether the face depicted is that of the prime minister.’
Meloni herself has laughed off the controversy, posting a picture of the fresco on Instagram and commenting: ‘No, I’m definitely not like an angel.’
Italy’s authorities for protecting cultural heritage, the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio, said they will be inspecting the restoration.
They added: ‘We will compare it with archive materials to determine not so much who the restoration resembles, but whether any changes have been made, because the restorer would have had to follow the original lines.’
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