Embroidered Panel of Saint Vigilius
Object or Group Name
Embroidered Panel of Saint Vigilius
Case Summary
In 2010, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston returned an embroidered panel from around 1390 depicting the Entombment of Saint Vigilius to the Museo Diocesano, in Trent, Italy.
The embroidery shows two scenes relating to the death of the fourth-century Saint Vigilius, showing his entombment on the left, while the right shows the pope and Emperor Theodosius receiving news of Vigilius’ martyrdom. The embroidery was one of at least six panels depicting scenes from the saint’s life and was commissioned by George of Liechtenstein to decorate his vestments after he was appointed bishop prince of Trent.
Sometime during the early twentieth century, the remaining five panels from the series were transferred from the cathedral to the newly built Museo Diocesano Tridentino, but were later moved back to the sacristy during World War I. The five embroidered panels were still in the cathedral sacristy in the 1930s. The current panel is believed to have been stolen sometime between 1939 and 1944, but the theft was not discovered until 1963, when the Museo Diocesano reopened in the Palazzo Pretorio, which is attached to the Cathedral. When the curators went to transfer the panels from the sacristy to the new museum, they discovered that this panel was missing.
It is unknown how or by whom the panel was taken out of Italy. By 1946, however, it was in the possession of the art dealer Arturo Grassi, formerly of Grassi and Sons in Florence, who was working as a private art dealer in Brooklyn, NY.
During the MFA's acquisition of the panel 1946, the museum sought information on the work’s history, and Grassi told them that the prior owner had inherited it as part of a large collection.
In 2008, Dr. Evelin Wetter of the Abegg-Stiftung in Riggisberg, Switzerland identified the missing panel from the Saint Vigilius series. After the MFA conducted independent research into the provenance and concluded that the panel did indeed belong to the series, they contacted the Museo Diocesano to initiate discussions about its return.
In November 2010, the MFA returned the embroidery to the Archdiocese of Trent and the Museo Diocesano where it was reunited with the remaining four panels.
The embroidery shows two scenes relating to the death of the fourth-century Saint Vigilius, showing his entombment on the left, while the right shows the pope and Emperor Theodosius receiving news of Vigilius’ martyrdom. The embroidery was one of at least six panels depicting scenes from the saint’s life and was commissioned by George of Liechtenstein to decorate his vestments after he was appointed bishop prince of Trent.
Sometime during the early twentieth century, the remaining five panels from the series were transferred from the cathedral to the newly built Museo Diocesano Tridentino, but were later moved back to the sacristy during World War I. The five embroidered panels were still in the cathedral sacristy in the 1930s. The current panel is believed to have been stolen sometime between 1939 and 1944, but the theft was not discovered until 1963, when the Museo Diocesano reopened in the Palazzo Pretorio, which is attached to the Cathedral. When the curators went to transfer the panels from the sacristy to the new museum, they discovered that this panel was missing.
It is unknown how or by whom the panel was taken out of Italy. By 1946, however, it was in the possession of the art dealer Arturo Grassi, formerly of Grassi and Sons in Florence, who was working as a private art dealer in Brooklyn, NY.
During the MFA's acquisition of the panel 1946, the museum sought information on the work’s history, and Grassi told them that the prior owner had inherited it as part of a large collection.
In 2008, Dr. Evelin Wetter of the Abegg-Stiftung in Riggisberg, Switzerland identified the missing panel from the Saint Vigilius series. After the MFA conducted independent research into the provenance and concluded that the panel did indeed belong to the series, they contacted the Museo Diocesano to initiate discussions about its return.
In November 2010, the MFA returned the embroidery to the Archdiocese of Trent and the Museo Diocesano where it was reunited with the remaining four panels.
Number of Objects
1
Object Type
Textile – fabrics, clothing, fiber-based objects
Culture
European
Private Collector
unnamed private collection
Museum Name
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum Accession Number
46.1198
Receiving Country
Italy
Sources
Museum of Fine Arts Ownership Restitutions
https://web.archive.org/web/20251001222744/https://www.mfa.org/collections/provenance/ownership-resolutions
Embroidered Panel of St. Vigilius MFA Catalogue
https://web.archive.org/web/20231009181624/https://collections.mfa.org/objects/49020
Works of Art Have Stories that Begin When the Artist's Work Ends
https://web.archive.org/web/20251001222447/https://www.thegazette.com/kids-articles/works-of-art-have-stories-that-begin-when-the-artists-work-ends/
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Returns 14th-century Embroidery to the Museo Diocensano Tridentino in Trent, Italy
https://web.archive.org/web/20251001223845/https://mfas3.s3.amazonaws.com/Press%20release%20Museo%20Diocensano%20Tridentino.pdf
Images
https://web.archive.org/web/20231009181624/https://collections.mfa.org/objects/49020
MOLA Contributor(s)
Lisa Duffy-Zeballos
Peer Reviewed By
Jason Felch
Citation
“Embroidered Panel of Saint Vigilius,” Museum of Looted Antiquities, accessed June 16, 2026, https://mola.omeka.net/items/show/2811.