�������t¶��

The gilt bronze mounts on the commode are attributed to a different artisan, Francesco Ladatte, and the piece is one of a pair; the other one is in a private collection.

The 20-inch gilt bronze statue of a Buddhist Bodhisattva was stolen from a Japanese temple in 2012 by South Korean thieves, who were caught trying to sell it after returning home.

There have certainly been times over the last two years when Florence felt empty, even in the Piazza Duomo, where the cathedral facade faces the doors of the baptistery, with the fabulous gilt bronze panels of biblical scenes, made by Lorenzo Ghiberti in the 15th century, and nicknamed the “Gates of Paradise” by Michelangelo.

As the title suggests, there are plenty of 18th-century French whorled gilt bronze candlesticks and treacly soft-paste biscuit porcelain figurines, but there’s also, by dint of the four Disney films included in the thesis, a good share of German, Netherlandish, and British examples, too.

Now, researchers have found evidence that David altered the image to obscure signs of their wealth—including her large, ornate hat and his desk, originally shown as decorated with gilt bronze.