A Baroque painting considered lost to art history for more than 50 years is on exhibit at Iona College through December. A sharp-eyed art historian, Iona College visual arts professor Thomas Ruggio, knew that a painting of the Holy Family with the infant St. John was a 17th-century Italian Baroque work when he visited the Church of the Holy Family, which is two blocks from Iona College’s campus.

“I’m used to wandering into churches and I find it very peaceful. I was there at least three times before I noticed the painting one day when the lights were on brightly,” said Ruggio, whose scholarly research includes the history and techniques of old Italian masters.