"Icon of the kitchen" sold for $26 500 000
ARTinvestment.RU   29 октября 2019

According to media reports, a huge amount (6 times higher than the estimate) paid American Foundation Alana. Obviously, his advisors agreed that the Board found in the kitchen — is a masterpiece of the Florentine painter Cimabue, teacher of Giotto

Setup — is a classic for "masterpieces of the attic". An ancient old lady, 90 years old. Need. And all the wealth-то — one bloated icon of the family in the kitchen. But the fate of the owner dramatically changes when the threshold crossing is a specialist small French auction Acteon. Keen eye unerringly detects a masterpiece of proto-Renaissance through. At first I can't believe it hunch confirmed by an expert from le Cabinet Turquin. Sensation. In the kitchen French grandmother survived one of the missing boards of the old altar painted by Cimabue. The only work in private hands. Despite Chad kitchen, painting and gilding of the XIII century is well preserved. And the Board traces to the same bug that the other surviving icon of this work. So the question — away. Next is to choose a good auction. But not to be greedy. The most expensive — Christie’s and Sotheby’s — is not necessary. Who then charge? But why go far. The opening of the masterpiece belongs Actéon Hôtel des Ventes de Senlis. So they and sell. But for how much? It is clear that for millions. Maybe five? A little or a lot? Name the four-шесть, but we'll see. And then — it's so to be: twenty-four million one hundred eighty thousand euros! I almost did not bargain. Rich Americans defeated the other candidates. How much would that be in dollars? $26@now;813@now;000. Press of the whole world exploded with applause. Justice has been done. Envious confounded.

Although not all are willing to humble pride, to believe in a miracle, and to admit defeat.

Okay. Now seriously. Miracles sometimes happen. But no wonder the miraculous finding from attics, basements and kitchens are considered a "bogey" that strong "risk group". Manufacturers of fakes don't always work carelessly. If we are talking about multi-million dollar jackpot (e.g., vanguard), then the counterfeiters are miracles of adaptability. They painstakingly select old materials, find Board ancient lost painting, collecting vintage paint with low value, poorly preserved works. The level is such that you can go through the technology, or at least make things was still a chance. But it is more difficult to deceive two things: the human eye, versed in the art, and history. Therefore, all staging miraculous finding usually banal repetitions of sin: a grandmother, a widow, attic, basement, spoils of war, the General, several generations in the family. Now here's the kitchen.

About the kitchen wondering wrote on his Facebook critic Kirill Alekseev, man, good sense of painting. There are interesting comments, so the post below is entirely — view.

And for those who have little time, here are a couple of quotes.

Kirill Alekseev: "...Cimabue was a great author. He started @ldquo;эмоциональную revolution@rdquo; medieval art. Severe forms are softened, saturated color and sensual atmosphere.

Later, Giotto appears that summarizes all the achievements of Cimabue. His angels cry, people's faces distorted by the experience and fabric of the clothes visually convey the characters.

now.

In this work emotional does not correspond to the proto-Renaissance through. From Cimabue there are no open displays of affection. He has a medieval method of gradualism. This is when the viewer is compelled to gaze long and all the effects are observernot obvious, and by long looking at the work.

In the present work are all very defiantly. Noisy and too effectively for the proto-Renaissance through.

hair, gray shadows on faces, pasemi, elements of the shoes can responsibly assume that this is a Balkan thing 17-18 centuries. Then in this region was made a lot @ldquo;древних variations@rdquo; on the basis of the old iconographies. In particular, thumbnails.

and the provenance of the thing as-то not very good, frankly quite unconvincing.

In particular, the previous owner claimed that the work of long time spent in the kitchen. Inevitable fat deposits and soot very specific influence of tempera painting. There are specific stains, spot of dirt, and the gold background die almost for sure.

My conclusion — expert mass aberration.

This Cimabue could be equally well called the Duccio or the master of Flemalle".

With him, however, does not agree Alexei Lidov, a specialist in Byzantine painting and the man, who was an expert of the UNESCO mission in Kosovo, investigating the destruction of Serbian cultural heritage.

Lidov wrote: "Well, what the Balkans 17-18 centuries?! Nothing to do. Thing stylistically obvious — Italy the turn of the 13-14 century and Cimabue are very similar, although quite ordinary in merit. Of course, we cannot exclude a cool fake, but it is easy to check on the wood Board. Another issue is that the auction price is exorbitant, but aren't we that surprised?"

And can, really? Well, I'm not going to spoil to you pleasure.

Vladimir Bogdanov, AI

Sources: rg.ru, facebook.com