In February I was browsing through an archive with clips from Scandinavian newspapers and accidentally found an almost heartbreaking story about a Virgin lost and found. 

In September 1961 the police wanted information on a sculpture of a Madonna from Steninge parish church in Halland that had been lost for 38 years (!). The church was now restored and the parish wanted their precious artifact back. The photo reminds of the ones used for missing persons with such a sad expression on the Virgins face (the sculpture is in fact a Pietà as you can see below). It was taken in 1923 during an inventory — the same year that the Virgin mysteriously disappeared from a museum exhibition in Gothenburg. 

Then, in 1974, the Madonna is reported to be found, but this caused new problems for the parish. A discussion over who should have the custody over the Virgin was being raised. The parish wanted her back as it was her original home, as if talking of a real person. The museum thought the Virgin was too valuable and too fragile to be placed back in the church, taking no responsibility over the fact that it was stolen from their care in 1923, and claimed the sculpture in a matter of public interest.

I would have to consult other archives to reveal all the details to this history, but these two pieces of the puzzle are interesting on their own. Why did the police chose to publish a detail photo of the Virgin's head? Wouldn't it be easier to recognize if it had been a photo of the whole sculpture? It really looks as if it is a missing person rather than an image, also the text is describing how the parish wants "her" back. Still it is not a religious argument behind this claim, but a question of cultural heritage. A desire of making the church whole again by bringing together artifacts of its medieval history. But why call it a "madonna"?

The museum quite naturally also discusses the matter based on cultural heritage, but probably want to preserve it for other reasons. Making it more accessible to scholars and keeping it in a safe environment. This is a common debate during the mid- and late 20th century when parish churches wanted medieval sculptures, altarpieces and baptismal fonts back from museums. There was a growing interest in Christian medieval history and it gave the church and the parish a new attraction and possible authority.

Today what is left of the sculpture is back in the church, which is probably the best solution. It is not restored to its former glory, but perserved in the state it was found in the beginning of the 20th century after some hundred years of neglect.