(AGI) Rome, Jan 23 - A painting depicting St. Sebastian andattributed to Renaissance artist Andrea del Sarto was among themost valuable works of art confiscated a few months ago byItalian finance police in Gaggiolo, near Varese, Lombardy. Theappraisal ordered by the city's deputy prosecutor, AnnalisaPalomba, revealed that the painting is the chronologically veryclose version to a prototype lost in 1811. According toVasari's "Le vite", del Sarto had made a painting for areligious company dedicated to St. Sebastian in which themartyr appeared from the waist up - an extremely close match tothe one recovered in Gaggiolo. The painting was found in a vanafter the driver ignored police orders to halt, alongside sevenother paintings, two prints depicting Napoleon at the Battle ofWaterloo and returning from the Isle of Elba, a bronze statueof an Arab hunter on camelback, and a wooden table. None of thevaluable items had transport or export authorisations, and thedriver, a Lithuanian national, was charged with illegalexportation of artworks and receiving stolen goods. Furtherinvestigations revealed that the man had set out from Germany,where he had already loaded some of the cargo, stopped inFrance for more stolen goods, and was travelling through Italyon his way to Russia. Numerous experts handled del Sarto'spainting, primarily Claudio Strinati, who certified the piece'srarity and special characteristics. Lab tests showed that theimage of the martyr was painted on top of one of St. Agnes, apeculiarity which makes the piece unique and of inestimablevalue. (AGI) . .