The Lost Pieces of the "Golden Tree of Lucignano" Discovered in Italy
After a century of searching, in Tuscany cave, Italy, parts of the legendary relic, the 'Golden Tree of Lucignano,' have been discovered. This precious masterpiece was created by the renowned Sienese goldsmith, Gabriello D'Antonio.
This was reported by Heritage Daily.
The relic, lost over a century ago, was found after the police received a report that a strange discovery had been made in a cave near Arezzo in central Tuscany, Italy. Upon arriving at the scene, law enforcement discovered precious artifacts.
In the cave, 5 plaques from the 'Golden Tree' were found, which adorned the reverse side of branch-shaped medallions. Additionally, polished mountain crystal and 116 silver figurines, which were once placed on the base of the tree, were found.
"I hope that the parts of the Golden Tree that have not yet been found can be restored as soon as possible to finally return this masterpiece in its full extent to the community," noted Dr. Andrea Di Pasquale, Director General of the Education, Research and Cultural Institutes of the Ministry of Culture.
The precious relic 'Golden Tree of Lucignano' reaches 2.70 meters in height and was created in several stages between approximately 1350 and 1471. Gilded copper, silver, and enamel were used during its creation, and the branches of the tree were decorated with corals, crystals, and miniatures.
In 1914, the 'Golden Tree' was stolen and divided into separate fragments. In this way, criminals attempted to sell the treasures on the black market. As a result, only remnants of branches and parts of the base were preserved from the entire tree.
Some fragments of the lost relic were found between 1927 and 1929. After that, the work of art underwent extensive restoration, and only in 1933 was the 'Golden Tree' restored with some of the found fragments and exhibited to the public.
Recently, The Gaze reported that Ukraine managed to return 14 ancient artifacts that were stolen and later exported by the Russians during the Ukrainian territories occupation.