Disgraced German bishop buys fake Piranesi with orphanage money

Disgraced German bishop buys fake Piranesi with orphanage money
Walter Mixa, who had been forced to step down as bishop of Augsburg under allegations of fraud and child abuse, is currently charged with using church money to buy a likely phony engraving

LONDON. Walter Mixa, who had been forced to step down as bishop of Augsburg in southern Germany after five ex-pupils accused him of physical abuse in March, faces another allegation. He's accused of using money designed for a Catholic orphanage to purchase a Piranesi engraving art technique that does probably be fake.

In January 1995, the previous priest with the Bavarian capital of scotland - Schrobenhausen was presented with a receipt in Rome to ensure his purchase of an “original engraving by G.B. Piranesi (1707)”-worth DM43,000 (€20,000). The money originated from a financial budget intended for the orphanage foundation St. Josef Schrobenhausen, where Mixa was teaching during the time.

The allegations of forgery lie within the undeniable fact that Piranesi came to be on 4 October 1720-therefore an engraving dating from 1707 could not be a Piranesi “original”, as mentioned in the letter from Rome. The purchase price taken care of the piece seemed to be higher than normal. Already extremely popular in the 18th century, Piranesi’s engravings were reproduced in multiple editions. Consequently, even works which can be undoubtedly by the hand from the artist with various art painting techniques don't sell for a lot more than €10,000.

Inside a letter from 1999, Mixa stated why he had bought the work of art, and a late-Gothic crucifix, with the entire orphanage’s money: “The children and adults were supposed to create a sense for artwork and aesthetics,” he explained. In a newer statement, he was quoted saying that, especially, he was always a priest and a counselor-“it may have happened which i didn't pay meticulous awareness of financial details”. Mixa also spent greater than €2,500 from the budget designed for the orphans on wine.

A particular prosecutor happens to be considering the allegations against Mixa, and it's also unclear regarding the location where the engraving is found. Mixa’s former diocese in Augsburg declined to comment and failed to reveal Mixa’s current location and phone details.