English
Italian law enforcement has recovered more than $200 million worth of stolen art and cultural artifacts using an artificial intelligence system that can detect hidden visual similarities between images. The technology has transformed how Italy’s art crime unit identifies looted works, even when thieves have deliberately altered them.
AI System Flags Altered Painting at Antique Fair
In October 2024, officers from the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage visited Mercanteinfiera, a well-established antiques fair that draws exhibitors from across Europe. The event has operated for around 40 years. Officers photographed items on display and uploaded the images into their art crime database.
Stay connected to every major update — subscribe and follow us on the PhoenixQ website and across our social media platforms.
The AI system, known as SWOADS — Stolen Works of Art Detection System — flagged one image almost immediately. The photograph showed an oil painting of a young woman holding a scroll. To the human eye, the painting did not appear to be an obvious match for any known stolen work. However, SWOADS identified it as a likely match for a 17th-century painting of Saint Agnese, stolen from a small church called Virgo Potens in Sulmona, in the Abruzzo region, roughly 20 years earlier.
At some point after the theft, someone had painted over the lamb that Saint Agnese originally cradled, replacing it with a scroll bearing Latin text. Despite this alteration, the system successfully detected what developers describe as “hidden visual fingerprints,” including similarities in colour shades and rough silhouettes.
Technology Developed by an IT Engineer on the Art Crime Team
Salvatore Rapicavoli, an IT engineer, developed SWOADS after joining the Carabinieri’s art crime unit in 2023. The team began using the platform that same year. Rapicavoli built the system specifically to address the challenges investigators face when stolen artworks are modified or disguised before resale.
The results have been significant. Since its introduction, SWOADS has helped recover more than 300 large works, including paintings and statues. In addition, authorities have retrieved over 165,000 smaller objects such as coins, letters, and medals. Together, these recovered items carry a total estimated value of more than $200 million.
Stolen Painting Returned to Its Church
Following the identification at Mercanteinfiera, the portrait of Saint Agnese was returned to Virgo Potens, the church from which it was stolen two decades ago. The recovery marked a notable success for the SWOADS platform and for Italy’s broader effort to protect its cultural heritage.
However, the case remains open in one respect. Authorities have not yet apprehended anyone in connection with the theft. The investigation is ongoing.
Italy holds one of the world’s largest concentrations of cultural heritage sites and artworks, making it a frequent target for art theft. The Carabinieri’s cultural heritage unit has long been considered a global leader in art crime investigation, and the adoption of AI tools like SWOADS represents a significant step forward in that work.
