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Raphael's Madonna gets glow on her cheeks
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-10-27 10:48

Fine arts technician Patrizia Riitana uses special optics to view Italian artist Raphael's 1506 oil-on-wood painting "Madonna of the Goldfinch" at a laboratory in Florence October 23, 2008. After 10 years of painstaking study and restoration that tested both cutting edge technology and human patience, one of the greatest masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance is returning to the public. Raphael's "Madonna of the Goldfinch" is a survivor. The painting had been shattered into 17 pieces then nailed back together following a house collapse 1547. Picture taken October 23, 2008. [Agencies]