UK Cultural Recovery Fund Announcements
October 9 2020
Picture: HHA
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News announced today that over 450 heritage organisations have benefitted from the first wave of the UK Government's £1.57bn Cultural Recovery Fund. Twitter seems to be full with announcements from individual organisations, many of which hold collections of fine and decorative art. It seems that this will benefit conservation projects the most, rather than front line jobs.
The BBC have announced that:
Organisations, including English Heritage, the Landmark Trust and Historic Royal Palaces, will receive £34m from the Heritage Stimulus Fund to restart conservation and maintenance.
The Historical Houses Association have also announced that several of their associated properties, many with exquisite art collections, have also benefitted from the scheme. This includes properties such as Highclere Castle and Penshurst Place.
'Jack the Indian' Re-identified (?)
October 9 2020
Picture: Warwick Castle via. Adam Busiakiewicz
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I thought it might be of interest to share this blog written by my friend and colleague Aaron Manning. Aaron is a fellow Warwick Castle enthusiast, although his day job is being Interpretation Manager at the Historic Royal Palaces.
Through some painstaking and diligent research into some seventeenth century account books, Aaron seems to have been able to give a possible name for the black servant that features within a family portrait at Warwick Castle.
This painting (pictured) has intrigued us for a long time. It shows Robert Greville (d.1677), 4th Baron Brooke, being attended to by a black servant who offers up a silver basket of oranges and lemons. The question has always been does the portrait depict a real black servant (or slave) who worked for the family, or was his inclusion in the picture a piece of artistic license.
Aaron's research into the many account books has identified an 'Indian Boy' who worked in the castle's kitchens during the 1640s. He is later referred to in the accounts as 'Jack the Indian'. The Greville family had established colonies in modern-day Connecticut and the Caribbean in the 1630s. Jack may have been an indigenous American from New England or the Caribbean who was brought back over the Atlantic to work for the family. Might it have been Jack who was featured in this family portrait?
Aaron and I had criticised the recent removal of the portrait from the castle's walls in the press last month. The current owners of the castle and portrait, Merlin Entertainments, had said they removed the painting to "conduct a full review into the subject matter portrayed in the painting discussed." We hope they will change their minds and have it redisplayed in due course.
Dutch Museum Chiefs Agree to Return Stolen Art
October 9 2020
Picture: Tracing Patterns Foundation
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Several Directors of Dutch Museums have agreed to cooperate with the return of statues and other artefacts stolen during the colonial era. This approach has been sanctioned it seems by the Dutch Council for Culture and will be put to government ministers. The museums represented in the council are in possession of an estimated 270,000 objects that might have claims on them.
In the article above, Stijn Schoonderwoerd, director of the National Museum of World Cultures, is quoted as saying:
I don’t hide behind the state, but everyone should take responsibility.
We have here a number of 13th century Singosari statues from Java. They were standing next to a crumbling temple and the Dutch thought, they’re nice, we’ll have those. And now they’re here at the Leiden museum.
However, Leiden University Professor Pieter ter Keurs points out that these returns should not be a one-way street:
The Dutch would also like to have artefacts from the Golden Age returned to them. It would be endless. I would say, please think about how you handle restitution very carefully.
Update - Here is The Guardian's take on the news. They point out that emphasis will be placed on return where "involuntary loss" is identified. Also, the author of the report Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You is quoted saying “If it doesn’t belong to you then you must return it.”
Charterhouse Great Chamber Refurbished
October 9 2020
Video: The Charterhouse
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Charterhouse in London, one of the city's best preserved complex of historic buildings, has recently finished off a refurbishment project on a room known as 'The Great Chamber'. This space happens to be one of the last remaining Tudor great chambers in the entire city.
The Charterhouse also took the opportunity to have several historic portraits, including those of Charles II, the Duke of Monmouth and the Duke of Buckingham, conserved and rehung in the room. Follow the link above to enjoy a 3D tour of the space.
Duncan Grant Drawings Donated to Charleston
October 8 2020
Video: BBC
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
422 drawings by the British artist Duncan Grant (1885-1978) have been donated to Charleston, the former home of several members of the Bloomsbury Group. The drawings were given by Grant to his friend the artist Edward Le Bas, many believe due to their highly erotic and private nature. It had been previously thought that they may have been destroyed. They eventually passed into the hands of the theatre designer Norman Cotes who kept them under his bed.
Technological Revolutions and Art History at the Frick
October 8 2020
Picture: The Frick Collection
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Frick Collection in New York, in partnership with their Digital Art History Lab, are running a very interesting four part webinar series called Technological Revolutions and Art History.
As their blurb explains:
Historically, science and the humanities were not considered two discrete disciplines: the separation of these two branches of knowledge developed only in the modern era. For art historians in the twenty-first century, this divide is only widening as some scholars embrace technological advances while others remain unconvinced that computational techniques and tools can bring meaningful changes to the field. Like the previous symposium Searching Through Seeing: Optimizing Computer Vision Technology for the Arts hosted by the Library in 2018, this four-part event seeks to encourage art historians to connect with the computer sciences by exploring the role that technology has played in the development of the discipline of art history and providing an opportunity for conversation and the exchange of ideas.
The sessions are free to join, although registration is required, with the first part beginning on 15th October 2020.
Louvre Flood Risk Documentary
October 8 2020
Picture: arte
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The television company Arte has uploaded a documentary it made in 2017 detailing the plans the Louvre has been making in case the Seine burst its banks. This nearly happened after a particularly bad flood in 2016. A renewed look at their disaster plan ended with the construction of a new storage facility in Liévin which was begun in 2015 and completed in 2019.
The documentary, which is only available in French and German, will be available to watch via. the link above until 14th October 2020.
Sell the Kandinskys and Schieles, say Deutsche Bank
October 8 2020
Picture: Deutsche Bank
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Deutsche Bank is the latest organisation to announce that it will begin selling off parts of its art collection. The Art Newspaper have reported that the bank is to start selling over 200 works in the next three years, beginning with three works by Wassily Kandinsky and Egon Schiele. The bank is said to have around 55,000 works of art in its collection, focusing mostly on works on paper and photographs.
The article features an interview with the bank's art department head Friedhelm Hütte who says:
“We are not as active in exhibiting and loaning this older part of our collection, and that is a shame,” Hütte says. “These works are very valuable and some of them have to stay in storage.”
The proceeds expected from upcoming the auctions “are not of the dimensions to strengthen the bank’s finances,” Hütte says. “This relatively small sum is great for buying art.”
“This is linked to our continued commitment to artists and galleries, which is particularly important at the moment,”
The bank is currently in the process of cutting a reported 18,000 jobs in a major restructuring plan.
Dreaming at Colnaghi
October 8 2020
Picture: Colnaghi
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The art dealers Colnaghi have just opened an exhibition in their London galleries entitled Dreamsongs: from Medicine to Demons to Artificial Intelligence. The show examines the way that artists have approached the subject of dreams from the antiquity to the present day.
Alongside the sort of 'Post-Freud' pictures you'd expect to see, there are earlier works on display too by the likes of Lucas Cranach the Elder, Salvator Rosa, William Blake, Jean-François Millet, John Martin, Samuel Palmer and Henri Fuseli (pictured).
The exhibition is curated by Bjorn Stern and runs until 23rd November 2020.
Marquess of Huntly Returning Home
October 7 2020
Picture: Sarasota Estate Auctions
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Antiques Trade Gazette has published a small story that the above portrait of George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly, has been purchased by the Marquess's descendant. The painting came up for sale in Florida last month, catalogued as 'Manner of Anthony Van Dyck' and made $37,000 (hammer price). It has been purchased by Alastair Granville Gordon, Earl of Aboyne, and son of the 13th Marquess of Huntly. The picture will be returning to Aboyne Castle in Scotland.
The best version of this composition, perhaps the prime version although suffering with condition issues, is owned by the Duke of Buccleuch.
Rembrandt in the Mauritshuis Lecture
October 7 2020
Picture: Mauritshuis
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The American Friends of the Mauritshuis are putting on a free online lecture entitled Reassessing Rembrandt in the Mauritshuis Collection. Special focus will be given to the most recent art historical assessments of the 11 pictures the collection owns by the Dutch Master and 7 others now attributed to his circle. The lecture will be delivered by Mauritshuis Executive Director, Martine Gosselink, and Senior Curator, Quentin Buvelot.
The lecutre will be broadcast on 28th October at 12pm (Eastern Time). It is free to attend via. Zoom although registration is required.
Sleeper Alert!
October 7 2020
Picture: Cornette de Saint Cyr
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News on Twitter (via. @auctionradar) that this painting of Mary Magdalene catalogued as 'Attributed to Rubens' sold for €320,000 over its €4k - €6k estimate at the auction house Cornette de Saint Cyr today. It seems that someone was able to see past the condition issues of this rather cracked panel. Also, it's probably best not to let the eye linger for too long on the structure of her throat and neck. I wonder if we will see the painting again with a dealer in the near future.
Bonhams Old Masters Sale
October 7 2020
Picture: Bonhams
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The auction house Bonhams have uploaded their upcoming Old Master Paintings sale online. The sale will take place in London on 21st October 2020.
Lots of interesting paintings as usual with extremely tempting estimates. I won't spoil the fun of pointing out those that might do well.
My eye was drawn to this rather fun unidentified musician catalogued as 'Circle of Johann Kerseboom'. It's so well painted that we can read the music score that is in front him. It shows a piece identified as 'Mr Lane's Maggot'. The piece was published in a music book dated to 1695. Yet, it may be a transcription of an earlier dance relating to King Charles II's dancing master 'Mr Lane'. Here's a link to the song on YouTube if you're curious as to what it sounds like. WARNING: The song is a real earworm.
Update - I've transcribed the song for my lute and published the recording here.
Music & Commentary at Christie's
October 7 2020
Picture: Christie's via. Facebook
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Whilst scrolling through Facebook this evening I came across a live feed of Christie's 20th Century Evening Sale.
It seems that they have introduced a few new features. This includes background music, during the climax of bidding wars, and some live commentary from staff. It feels a bit like a sporting event, which is probably what they are trying to achieve. It's rather hard to replicate the excitement of being in a saleroom. I wonder if these new features will help sell pictures?
American Museums Poised to Sell $100m of Art
October 6 2020
Picture: Baltimore Museum of Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Artnet.com has published an article highlighting that a selection of American Museums are poised to sell $100m of Art this season at auction. The aforementioned changes to rules from the Association of Museum Directors in the wake of the COVID crisis is clearly playing a part in the sell-off strategies.
The most recent American museum to announce that it is selling items from its collections is the Baltimore Museum of Art. Amongst the three works that will be consigned is Andy Warhol's The Last Supper (pictured), a rip-off of Leonardo's iconic fresco, of course. The museum hope to raise $65m from the sales which include siphoning off money for a broad "equity initiative".
The Washington Post ran an article on the Baltimore Museum's announcement giving quotes from their director:
BMA Director Christopher Bedford, who believes Warhol would have given the sale his “hearty blessings,” has said the museum is in good financial shape. The underlying motive for the sale, Bedford said Friday, was to address systemic racism and injustice that “should have been addressed with determination centuries ago.” Those factors, he added, provide “more than enough justification” for the museum to sell the works.
“The moral imperative,” he said, “prevails over all.”
Curiously, it appears that it is mostly twentieth century art that is being consigned for sale thus far. To this date only the Brooklyn Museum have committed old master paintings to the saleroom.
Tintoretto's Last Painting Conserved
October 6 2020
Picture: ArtDaily.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The last recorded painting to have left Tintoretto's workshop before his death in May 1594 has been conserved. The Entombment of Christ, painted for Venetian Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, is believed to be one of the last works completed by the master and his son Domenico.
Work on the picture began after it returned from an exhibition in Washington DC in 2019. The treatment was funded by the organisation called Save Venice's Tintoretto 500 Campaign, and was undertaken by conservator Claudia Vittori in collaboration with Barbara Bragato and others.
The transformation is quite dramatic, especially now that the darks have been reinstated. Let's hope the lighting they have in the church is equally as sympathetic!
The British Library is Hiring!
October 6 2020
Picture: BL
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The British Library in London are looking for a new Head of Collections & Curation.
As their job description explains:
In this role, you will lead, manage and inspire our world-class curatorial teams, who work with colleagues across the Library to ensure that public access of all kinds to our vast physical and digital collections is underpinned by expert knowledge and creative insight. The post holder will be the Library’s senior leader in areas including stewardship, content and collection development and cultural property management.
You will be responsible for leading structural and change programmes, fostering a ‘One British Library’ culture of collaboration, embedding the Library’s values and enabling us to deliver our commitments to openness, diversity, inclusivity and anti-racism.
The salary on offer is between £76,000 - £90,000. Applications must be in by 5th November 2020.
Good luck if you're applying!
Mona Lisa's Pounce Marks Found
October 6 2020
Picture: ScienceDirect.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
French scientists examining the Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa have unveiled the results of recent research into this iconic painting. Multispectral cameras have revealed that Leonardo did not draw the famous portrait free-hand, but used pouncing instead (called spolvero in Italian). This involves using drawings, with holes pricked into the paper, and then black chalk is rubbed in to allow images to be transferred onto panel. This was a technique used widely during the Renaissance.
High resolution images and scans have been published (pictured) showing these marks. It's particularly obvious where her hands meet, for example.
It seems that this investigation was initially commissioned purely to find out what pigments and measurements of colour Leonardo had used. Once work began, however, it is clear that Lionel Simonot and the Pprime Institute had discovered something of equal if not of greater interest.
Sotheby's October Sales
October 5 2020
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's have just published their October NY 'Master Paintings' sale on their website. This online sale runs from 7th - 14th October 2020.
The top lot is this fine architectural capriccio by Bernardo Bellotto estimated at $700k - $900k and sold by the San Diego Museum of Art. Also noteworthy is this nice Jordaens of the Triumphant Christ estimated at $200k - $300k; a pair of Panini roman ruins estimated at $60k - $80k; a Last Supper by Sebastiano Ricci estimated at $200k - $300k; and fine battle scene by Apollino di Giovanni estimated at $200k - $300k.
I'm also rather fond of the picture above by Joseph Marcellin Combette, showing his wife painting at an easel. This work carries a very reasonable estimate of $6k - $8k.
Also not to be forgotten is The Collection of Ambassador and Mrs. Felix Rohatyn, which includes some very fine eightheenth century pictures including a magnificent Canaletto of the Rialto Bridge estimated at $3m - $5m.
Video: Rubens, brush and movement
October 4 2020
Picture: Harvard Art Museums
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Harvard Art Museums have published a video discussing an oil sketch of Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion by Rubens (click on the link to watch). The video is presented by conservator Cristina Morilla and relates to the techniques Rubens employed in producing such small scale sketches.
