2,000 Posts Later.... and Trojan
March 27 2026
Picture: Warwick Shire Hall via ArtUK
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
As I've just passed my 2,000th post on AHN since my return in September 2023 (bringing my total number of posts to around 3,780 since April 2020), I wanted to thank readers for sticking with the blog. It continues to be a great pleasure keeping our small corner of the art world filled with daily news. Thank you especially to all of you who get in touch or even come to some of my in-person talks which is always a nice surprise. Ultimately, we must thank Bendor for his commitment to keeping AHN running for the past 15 years!
As an aside, here's a small bit of recent picture research which gave me the greatest satisfaction over the Spring. Whilst preparing for a tour of the painting collection in Warwick Shire Hall, to help raise funds to restore Ralph Sheldon's Henry VIII portrait, I decided to look into the history of this very large (127 cm. across) yet overlooked portrait of a fox hound called 'Trojan'. Having been without any attribution since it was acquired, I thought it was worth trying to work out the hand. It just so happens that Trojan was incredibly famous in late-18th century Warwickshire, with more biographical details known about his life and character than most Britons who lived during the 1780s. He was particularly good at leaping over walls, apparently, and was commemorated in poems and the lyrics of songs.
Trojan's owner, John Corbet of Sundorne Castle in Shropshire, loved his prized pet so much that he had him painted several times. This included another version of the following work, which I tracked down in an annal of the Warwickshire Hunt. This composition, showing Corbet's house in the background (the Shire Hall picture does not), was published in the Sporting Magazine in 1825 and was known to have been painted by 'Elmer'. Despite exhibiting enormous amounts of game still lifes at the Royal Academy, Stephen Elmer A.R.A (1717-1796) is almost as forgotten as Trojan. However, judging from his surviving work, I think the Shire Hall painting must be his second version of this once famous dog.
To quote the final part of Trojan's biographical entry:
...It was in the month of January, 1788, that after a most severe day in which he had distinguished himself, but had showed symptoms of nature having cried 'enough' that Mr. Corbet ordered that Trojan should never hunt again. He lived some years afterwards, and being fond of lying and basking himself under some fine old elms at Sundorne, Mr. Corbet had him buried there.
I'll spend my spare hours during the next months ruminating who might of painted Corbet's portrait, which proudly features his trusty friend alongside.
Michaelina Wautier at The Royal Academy
March 27 2026
Picture: Royal Academy
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The latest leg of the Michaelina Wautier exhibition opens at the Royal Academy in London today.
According to their website:
Active in Brussels in the middle of the 17th century, Michaelina Wautier challenged the limits imposed on female artists at the time by working on an unusually varied range of subjects: from flowers and portraits to grand history paintings – a format usually reserved for her male counterparts.
In her most famous painting, The Triumph of Bacchus, she painted herself as a pagan bacchante in monumental scale, looking squarely at the viewer and confidently asserting her position as the maker.
Although Wautier was hugely successful in her time, her breathtaking paintings and her place in art history were almost lost in the 18th century.
Goyas belong to the State and not Tobacco Company, says Spanish Court
March 27 2026
Picture: elespanol.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Spain that a court has ruled that pair of Goyas depicting Charles IV and Maria Luisa of Parma belong to the Spanish state and not the successor company of the Royal Tobacco Factory of Seville who commissioned the paintings in 1789. This puts an end to nine years of litigation, which surrounded the complex question of legal ownership of the pair after a change in the tobacco monopoly in Spain in the late nineteenth century and a Royal decree of 1896. Click on the link above to read the full story.
Agostino Beltrano Pictures to be Restored and Returned to Pozzuoli Cathedral
March 27 2026
Picture: finestresullarte.info
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that the Capodimonte Museums in Naples will be restoring and returning elements of a triptych by Agostino Beltrano back to Pozzuoli Cathedral. The wings which originally flanked Beltrano's Last Supper (pictured) ended up in the museum's stores at some point during the 20th century, possibly when the Cathedral was damaged by fire in the 1964. Click on the link above to see images of the other elements which appear to be rather damaged.
Velázquez, Technique and History (in Spanish)
March 27 2026
Video: Prado via YouTube
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Yet another fascinating sound lecture on the Prado YouTube channel (in Spanish) from a recent conference detailing the technical and stylistic evolution of Velázquez. The presentation is given by Jaime García-Máiquez of the museum's technical department.
Rediscovered Reynolds inspires Syracuse University Symposium
March 27 2026
Picture: Syracuse University Art Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Syracuse University have been hosting a symposium yesterday and today entitled (In)Visible Faces: The Politics of Portraiture and Social Change, 1700—the Present. The event was inspired by the rediscovery in 2017 (although I don't think it was widely reported at the time) of a second version of Sir Joshua Reynolds' Tuccia, The Vestal Virgin in the university's art collection which was 'untraced' in the 2000 Mannings Reynolds catalogue. The painting has since been cleaned and displays those typical condition issue traits one sees with pictures by Sir Joshua (what on earth is going on with her arm?). Here's a recent blog which details the discovery.
Gaspar van Wittel Drawings Catalogue Raisonné
March 27 2026
Picture: dariocimorellieditore.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The works on paper collective Trois Crayons have pointed out that a new catalogue raisonné of the drawings of Gaspar van Wittel has just been published. Penned and edited by Carolina Trupiano Kowalczyk, the new volume contains 450 drawings, each individually catalogued including an all-important 'rejected' section.
As regular readers will know, such sterling efforts will win Carolina Trupiano Kowalczyk a place in the much coveted 'Heroes of Art History' section of this blog.
The End of Free Entry to Museums in the UK?
March 27 2026
Picture: gov.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The UK Government published a response to an independent review undertaken by Baroness Hodge of Barking regarding the reform of the Arts Council yesterday. Amongst the usual pledges to 'ensure the arts are no longer the preserve of the privileged few', the report also delves into questions of funding for museums (technically not a part of the Arts Council remit). The response to the report includes, as part of the long-term recommendations currently being explored by the government, the notion of introducing entry fees for international visitors at national museums (see the full quote in the image above). This measure was brought in by a previous Labour Government in 2001.
Click here to read Bendor's response in a thread published on 'X'.
Getty Provenance Index Update (ctd.)
March 26 2026
Video: Getty
Posted by Bendor Grosvenor
Regular readers will remember AHN's concern and bafflement at the new Getty Provenance Index, launched last year. The Index has been for many years an indespensible art historical tool, and those of us who use it are indebted to all the hard work of the Getty and its staff for making so much evidence available online. But the new Index site, called Arches, just didn't work as well as the old one, and happily Getty agreed to keep the old, Legacy Index, online.
The video above is intended to show you how to perform searches on the new site, Arches. I have tried hard to understand how it works, and have watched the video more than once. But it still seems to me that the Arches is bewilderingly bad, and compared to the Legacy index makes searching for information much more difficult, even impossible. But is just me? I'd be interested to know what other readers think!
In the meantime, we continue to implore the Getty to keep the Legacy Index online.
Eleonora Susette (?) Reidentified by AGO Toronto
March 26 2026
Picture: news.artnet.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Regular readers of AHN will remember an appeal by the AGO in Toronto back in 2020 regarding the identity of a newly acquired portrait from a Sotheby's sale in 2019 (right). It appears that researchers from outside and within the museum may have cracked it. The rediscovery of a companion portrait (left), and a firm attribution through comparisons of signatures to the artist Jeremias Schultz, placed the portraits in Amsterdam in the 1770s.
According to the article above the breakthrough came with emails from two family history researchers:
Their direct ancestor, Beata Louise Schultz, was the painter’s first cousin who had moved to the Dutch colony of Berbice (modern-day Guyana) in 1768 after her husband was appointed governor. Archives showed that after Beata’s husband died in 1773, she decided to return to Amsterdam and wrote a letter to the Dutch government asking permission to bring two enslaved people who worked in her home. Their names were Michiel and Eleonora Susette, who was born in 1756 and was forced to work alongside her mother, Lucia Afiba.
Upon returning to Amsterdam, Beata commissioned her cousin to paint portraits of her son and daughter as well as of Eleonora Susette and Michiel [their last names are not known]. It was most likely intended as a keepsake of the pair, the museum noted. Eight months later, they were sent back across the Atlantic Ocean to Berbice.
Great sleuthing indeed!
Early Netherlandish Drawings at The British Museum
March 26 2026
Picture: The British Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The British Museum will be opening their latest works on paper exhibition next month entitled Early Netherlandish Drawings 1400 - 1600.
According to their website:
This display, featuring drawings by artists including Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Hendrick Goltzius, Rogier van der Weyden and Lucas van Leyden, is the culmination of a five-year research project on the Museum collection of early Netherlandish drawings. Around 120 drawings, dated from around 1430 to 1600, have been selected from more than 1,200 which have not been systematically researched or catalogued since AE Popham's collection catalogue in 1932.
The show will highlight new findings that have come from combining curatorial and conservation expertise along with scientific analysis. The project, supported by a grant from the International Music and Art Foundation, charts the origins and development of drawing in the Low Countries. The breadth and quality of the Museum's holdings in this field provide an opportunity to piece together this sometimes-fragmented narrative.
The display will run from 16th April until 20th September 2026.
Upcoming: Martin Schongauer at the Louvre
March 26 2026
Picture: Louvre
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Following on from my recent post, the Louvre have published more details on their upcoming Martin Schongauer exhibition which will open on 8th April and run until 20th July 2026.
According to their website:
The exhibition presents a wide selection of his drawings and engravings and, for the first time, a near-complete collection of his paintings (altarpieces and easel paintings), including the 1473 Madonna of the Rose Bower, his only painting on panel whose date of creation is known. His works reveal a well-read artist with a penchant for fine, inventive storytelling and a skilful eye for natural subjects.
Botany in Art in Girona
March 26 2026
Picture: Prado
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Caixa Forum in Girona, Spain, have just opened a new temporary exhibition on Botany in Art which is supported by loans from the Prado. The show will run until 23rd August 2026.
Veil-Picard Pre-emptions
March 26 2026
Picture: Christie's Paris
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Yesterday's Chefs-d'oeuvre de la collection Veil-Picard sale at Christie's Paris realised a total of €9,433,135 (all figures inc. commission). Several French institutions stepped in to declare pre-emptions on certain lots (via @mweilc). This included the Louvre taking the pair of Hubert Roberts depicting Madame Geoffrin receiving a portrait and at her breakfast table (pictured) which realised €2,439,000 over their €800,000 - €1,200,000 estimate. The Palace of Versailles also pre-empted 4 drawings by Jean-Michel Moreau depicting scenes of courtly life. Click on the link above to see the full results.
Baltimore Museum of Art Hiring European Art Curator
March 25 2026
Picture: Baltimore Museum of Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Baltimore Museum of Art is hiring an Associate Curator/Curator and Department Head of European Painting and Sculpture.
According to the job description:
The Baltimore Museum of Art seeks a visionary curator to lead its Department of European Painting and Sculpture using a globally oriented and socio-historically grounded curatorial approach. The successful candidate will be a scholar who is committed to interrogating the formation of European artistic practice within the contexts of colonial expansion, global trade, and sustained exchange with Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. In centering these interconnected histories, the curator will work collaboratively with curatorial staff across departments to reconceive the Museum’s presentations of European art and challenge inherited disciplinary boundaries. Through exhibitions, collection reinstallations, research, and extensive in-gallery interpretation, the curator will articulate how European artistic traditions emerged in dialogue with—and were materially, formally, and conceptually shaped by—global systems of exchange, colonization, and diaspora.
The successful candidate will be a specialist in European art from the 15th to the 19th centuries with a demonstrated commitment to education and public engagement. While the Department of European Painting and Sculpture encompasses European art from the 13th century through 1960, the Associate Curator/Curator and Department Head is not expected to be a specialist across this full chronological span. Rather, they should be comfortable providing intellectual leadership and making informed curatorial and interpretive decisions across the breadth of the collection. As such, the successful candidate will approach curatorial practice as a collaborative endeavor that requires deep engagement with internal and external stakeholders and will be committed to polyvocal and inclusive modes of storytelling.
The job comes with an annual salary of between $74,864 - $82,351 and no deadline for applications has been set.
Good luck if you're applying!
At Home with Jan Steen in Leiden
March 25 2026
Picture: Museum De Lakenhal
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden are opening a new exhibition entitled At Home with Jan Steen – 400 Years of Merrymaking next week.
According to the museum's website:
With the exhibition At Home with Jan Steen – 400 Years of Merrymaking, Museum De Lakenhal celebrates Jan Steen's 400th birthday. In this exhibition, you will discover how the Leiden artist used his children, spouses, friends and pub as inspiration for his paintings. The exhibition offers a surprising glimpse into everyday life in the 17th century and the humour and humanity that make his paintings so beloved. Through his works and those of other artists of his time, you will embark on a journey of discovery through Steen's world full of humour, chaos and hidden messages.
The show will run from 2nd April until 23rd August 2026.
Secret Lives of Paintings at Stourhead
March 25 2026
Video: Stourhead via Instagram
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Stourhead in Wiltshire, the country home of the Hoare family which is run by The National Trust, have just opened a temporary exhibition dedicated to discoveries made during the conservation of some of their paintings. The video above details recent work undertaken on an early view of the famous park there.
Upcoming Release: Unconventual Women in the Habsburg Low Countries, 1585–1794
March 25 2026
Picture: Routledge
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Routledge will be publishing this interesting title Unconventual Women in the Habsburg Low Countries, 1585–1794: Visual Culture at the Court Beguinages later in the summer. The volume was penned by Sarah Joan Moran.
According to the blurb:
This book examines the Court Beguinages, a fascinating group of semi-monastic female communities that were endemic to cities of the Southern Low Countries from the thirteenth century into the twentieth.
Their members, called Beguines, played fundamental social and religious roles in their communities, and they also became major patrons of art and architecture, building vast complexes and filling them with paintings, sculptures, prints, textiles, and all sorts of other decorative objects. As the first comprehensive and primary source-driven account of Court Beguinage visual culture, this study explores the historical importance of these institutions and reveals how the Beguines used buildings and images to support devotional practice, shape public perception, raise funds, and negotiate power relationships during the Counter Reformation.
Rubens Medici Cycle to be Restored by Louvre
March 25 2026
Picture: Louvre
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Exciting news from Paris that the Louvre has announced that it will conserve and restore the famous Medici Cycle by Rubens. The 24 paintings are expected to be off view for approximately 4 years while the work takes place.
According to the article linked above:
While the cycle may lack the same recognition held by the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and other treasures held by the Louvre, these Rubens paintings are some of the key works of their time. But despite their fame, the paintings are currently be exhibited in an “unsatisfactory state,” according to the Louvre, whose 2016 analysis triggered an internal investigation into the works. In 2020, upon further research, experts with the Louvre expressed “grave concern” about the works, the museum said.
“The works are no longer in a suitable state for display,” the museum said. “Specifically, the varnishes have generally yellowed (due to oxidation), and retouching from earlier restorations has become visually discordant—and therefore visible—detracting from the proper appreciation and interpretation of the paintings.”
The Louvre will now remedy this, turning the gallery into what it described as a “restoration studio” where its team can refurbish the works once more.
Cricket (or Baseball) Boys Soar in Milan
March 24 2026
Picture: Il Ponte
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The following painting, which formed one of a pair catalogued as 'English School, late 18th century', soared past their opening bid of €2,200 to achieve €11,000 (hammer) today at Il Ponte in Milan. As anyone can see, it is certainly one of those paintings where you know a good story and interesting history must be lurking. It was sold at Bonhams in 1975 as a work by the American painter Ralph Earl, hence the idea the boys might actually be playing baseball. A blog 16 years ago explored the idea, with the reactions of various US museums experts captured in this article here. The reappearance of these pictures will undoubtedly spur on the possibility of cracking the puzzle!
Congratulations to whoever bought the painting. I'm sure we'll see it again some time soon.
