Spiritello in its present condition is a tragic monument to the war. It has a long history: in the 17th century it belonged to Giovanni Pietro Bellori (1613-1696), an Italian painter and antiquary, an expert and art historian. It was considered a work of antiquity and entered the assembly of the Brandenburg Electors in 1698 as such. At the very beginning of the 19th century, this statuette, together with a number of other valuable artworks, was captured by the Napoleonic troops and sent to Paris, where it became a part of the Napoleon Museum, located in the Louvre. Later it was returned back to Berlin.
Browse the item on the Department of Conservation website
The item participates in the restoration project "Donatello and Other Renaissance Masters"