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NORTH EDITION roundtownnews.com
Issue 715
28 JUNE - 4 JULY 2013
Old Master on the Costa Blanca ART HISTORY faces massive upheaval after a 17th Century painting surfaced on the Costa Blanca with tests revealing it could be an original by Flemish-artist Sir Anthony Van Dyck.
by Jack Troughton THE PICTURE ‘Lamentation of the Virgin, St Magdalen and St John over the body of Christ’ is currently on loan to the Borgia Ducal Palace in Gandia and has triggered international excitement as a possible lost Old Master – with a value of between two and three million euros. And the ongoing scientific investigation as to its authenticity has led to claims the ‘Lamentation’ in the Prado Museum in Madrid – which houses Spain’s national art collection – is a “beautiful” 19th century copy despite some experts surrounding it with a “myth of originality”. Controversy continues to dog the Prado version. Until 1975 it was attributed to Rubens and many scholars have rejected the museum’s claim it is Van Dyck’s work. Both canvases had been the subject of independent technical and scientific tests – yet the owners of the Ducal Palace work, Javea-based Mnajdra Discerning Fine Art SL complain the Prado refuses to enter “an open dialogue” over the paintings and “ignores” the new analysis. ORIGINAL
Dr Susan Grundy
Mnjadra collects, valorises, and markets Old Master paintings and Managing Director and art historian Dr Susan Grundy is convinced the Lamentation she
purchased at a Christies auction is a “real contender” to be attributed as a Van Dyck original. At a press conference to publish results of two years of research with art expert Dr Roberta Lapucci and Dr Anna Pelagotti, both from Florence, Dr Grundy accused the Prado of ignoring basic findings to support its “erroneous attribution”. She told RTN: “In my opinion the Prado has a very nice 19th Century over-painting. It is a very nice overpainting because the artist is very confident – at the time of Napoleon, the French could do Rubens better than Rubens.” She believes when Spain was ruled by Napoleon’s brother, King Joseph, many paintings were removed from monasteries and copied. Dr Grundy added: “My conclusion is the Prado does not have a Van Dyck despite its attempts to authenticate it. We definitely have the best contender. This is huge for the art world, it is the first time someone has challenged the museum.” PROTECT And she maintains the Prado was trying to protect the reputation of its art historians rather than determine the authenticity of its Lamentation. “The truth of the matter is the Prado does not have a Van Dyck and I suspect they know it.” Continued on page 3