A painting by Jacopo Bassano can rightfully remain at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles after a ruling by Italy’s highest administrative court concluded a complex legal dispute over its export from the country in 2018.

On 21 November, the Council of State ruled in favour of the J. Paul Getty Trust and Alex Postiglione, the former owner of the painting who originally applied for an export licence. They had contested the Italian culture ministry’s decision in January 2022 to annul the licence and order the repatriation of the painting due to its “exceptional” importance for Italian cultural heritage.