There's a long tradition of painters depicting real people in their religious art, but the appearance in a Roman church of a cherub that bears a striking resemblance to Premier Giorgia Meloni has sparked a minor scandal for both church and state in Italy. The diocese of Rome and the Italian Culture Ministry both announced investigations into the recent renovations at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, after photos of the Meloni-esque cherub were published in Italian newspapers this weekend. Their swift and harsh reactions has given the basilica, already well known as one of the oldest churches in Rome, newfound celebrity status, reports the AP. It was jammed on Sunday and Monday with curiosity-seekers straining to photograph the angel in a side chapel.
Meloni, for her part, tried make light of the outcry. "No, I definitely don't look like an angel," Meloni wrote on social media with a laughing/crying emoji alongside a photo of the work. In 2000, one of the basilica's front chapels was renovated to include a bust of the last king of Italy, Umberto II. Included in the decoration was a cherub holding a map of Italy, seemingly kneeling down before the king. That figure is now under scrutiny since the cherub's face appears modeled on Meloni's, and appears in a position of deference to the king. Italians rejected the monarchy after World War II because of its support for Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini; Meloni's right-wing party has its roots in the neo-fascist party that succeeded Mussolini.
The parish priest, the Rev. Daniele Micheletti, acknowledged the resemblance to Meloni but dismissed the significance, noting that plenty of artists depicted real life people in their works. Caravaggio is said to have modeled the Virgin Mary on a prostitute in one of his works; Michelangelo painted himself as St. Bartholomew in the Sistine Chapel's Last Judgement. "The priest is not responsible for the decorations in the sense that the owner is someone else," Micheletti said Monday in his office, as his phone rang constantly. "So, what do they want from me?"
Over the weekend, the Culture Ministry sent a special delegate and ministry officials to the basilica to survey the angel. Their aim, according to a ministry statement, was to "ascertain the nature of the work" and "decide what to do." The restorer, for his part, has denied wrongdoing and denied he used Meloni as a model. Bruno Valentinetti said Meloni was in the eye of the beholder and that he merely restored the original painting. The investigations are looking to determine what the original 2000 cherub looked like.
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