| Stolen painting by Lucas Cranach returned to museum The canvas “The Gathering” by the great artist of the Northern Renaissance, the German Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), stolen from the Georgian Museum of Art in 1994, was returned to the state by operatives. On Tuesday, the painting was brought to the residence of President Mikheil Saakashvili, who ordered awards for distinguished police officers. The details of the operation are contradictory: either the painting was confiscated from a criminal authority, or it was returned voluntarily in exchange for the speedy release from prison of a certain eminent incognito.
Although the euphoria of Georgian experts who valued the painting at $40 million is understandable, it is difficult to agree with the objectivity of the examination results. Lucas Cranach's legacy is great. His paintings come from two major Russian collections, the Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum named after A.S. Pushkin, could, for example, become the basis for a full-fledged exhibition of Cranach’s work. The master who glorified the Danube School is also not a rare guest in other museums around the world. Many of his paintings (“The Gathering” is no exception) were repeated several times, which partly explains the large fluctuations in prices at auctions. Until recently, maximum prices for paintings by Lucas Cranach ranged from 5 to 10 million dollars.
The canvas “Gathering” was delivered to the Georgian museum in the twenties of the last century from the residence of the Romanov imperial family in Likani (Georgian mountain resort). Representatives of the museum say that only a professional art historian could have led the thieves to “Svodnya.” The masterpiece is well preserved and will soon be returned to the museum. Mikhail VIGNANSKY, Sergei KHACHATUROV |
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