Bust Attributed to Donatello Splits Slovakia

A bust attributed to Renaissance master Donatello has reemerged in Slovakia after falling into obscurity following World War II, but the country’s nationalist government has sparked anger by stowing it away in a ministry building.

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The sculpture of Italian noblewoman Cecilia Gonzaga spent centuries in a manor house in central Slovakia, whose owners, the noble Csaky family, left it behind when they fled the advancing World War II front in 1945.

Moved about and ultimately forgotten in the aftermath, it was sitting in a depository at the Spis Museum in the eastern town of Levoca when art historian Marta Herucova stumbled across it.

The bust had been marked “unknown author”. But Herucova noticed the base was inscribed with the words: “Ceciliae Gonzagae opvs Donatelli” (Cecilia Gonzaga, a work by Donatello).

If confirmed, it would be only the eighth artwork signed by the Italian Renaissance sculptor to be discovered worldwide.

Herucova made the find in 2019, but it was only announced in February -- surprising the country.

“Who would expect an original Donatello to appear in Slovakia?” said former museum director Maria Novotna. But the bust is now a subject of controversy.

Nationalist Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova decided to remove it from the museum and bring it to an unknown location in late May, citing security concerns.

The move dismayed critics and art historians, who say the bust needs expert conservation and research to confirm if it is really by Donatello (1386-1466).