The times., 1901-04-21
THEFTS OF RARE PICTURES
Some of the Famous Paintings
Which Have Been Stolen.

Incidents Recalled by the Recover,
of GainsborouGh's duchess %
Devonshire' - story of the Mutii
ated MurilIo of the City of Seville
The theft of Gainsborough's 5000
! painting of the Duchess of Deyonshire
/ now just recovered after the lapse o
twenty-five years, is by no means The
only case where the work of famous art
! lists has been the prey of robbers
About thirty years go SCI araI pictures
! were cut from the frames and stolen
! from the Earl of Suffolks collection
! These the thieves were not able to turn
! into money, and at last they gave up the
! attempt and were compelled. in order &c
| escape detection to hide away their plum
der under one of the arches OF Black
friars Bridge, where the pictures were at
length discovered and restored to their
owner.
The famous ''Vierge Coupee'' of Mar
shal Soults gallery was the picture from
which it was said an officer cut the fig
ures of the Virgin and child before it
had been taken by the marshal as his
prize. For many years the picture re-
mained in the Soult gallery with mod
ern Virgin and child supplied in place of
Murilos, and was sold in this state,
eventually, by a remarkable piece of good
fortune, coming into possession of a gen
tleman who happened long before to have
purchased the real Virgin and child of
Murillo belonging to it.
Several daring thefts have been commit
ted from the Dresden Museum from time
to time. In 1747 three pictures, one Of
which was by Mieris, were stolen. inc
Mieris was subsequent recovered. Again
in 17SS three more paintings were carried
off. They were the Reading Masdalen, ."
by Correggio: the Judgment OF Paris -
by Van der Werff. ard portrait hy Sey-
bold.
a reward Of 900 ducats was promised
to whoever should bring back the pictures,
and the result was that four days later a
box was found near the Zwinger contaiH-
ing the two pictures by Van der Werff and
Seybold Soon after the thief himself, a
man named Wogaz, of bad reputation
was apprehended and the "Magdalen
found in a hayloft, concealed beneath the
flooring. The frame. however. which was
ornamented with gold and precious stones,
had already been wrenched off.
In 1910 a small portrait of the style OF
Holbein mysteriously disappeared. and
the smaller pictures were fixed more firm
~ TO the walls: in spite of which. in 1919,
a woman called Sophia May Won Langen-
salza succeeded in carrying Oft in open
dav. A precious work of MetZu She WAS
foolish enough to put ii up for sale al
Leipzig where ii was Immediately TecOg-
nized as the missing picture, thus causing
her apprehension.
one OF the most remarkable Instances
of picture robbery was that of the mutt
lated MuriAo The theft of Gainsbor-
ough's Duchess of Devonshire excepted.
no event in recent Years caused so much
stir in the world of art as the announce
ment Of the mutiiation Of Muriilos cele-
brated picture representing The APP
pearanCe of the Infant Jesus to St An
thony The colossal picture is owned in
Seville, and is one Of the city's chief Glor-
les. The Duke OF Wellington is SAID 70
have offered in vain foTft as many onzas
as would be required u cover il.
On November >, 1874 il was discovered
that the figure of St. Anthony had heen
cut from the picture. during the preceding
forty-eight hours, N which period the
curtain usually covering il had not been
withdrawn. so far as known.
The stolen fragment was eventually
brought TO America, the despoilers an
parently being afraid TO attempt the sale
OF it in Europe. Fortunately 1t was offer
eG to Mr.. Schaus well-known picture
dealer in Broadway, New York, by whom
il was at once recognized. The fragment
"
the picture, formed a rough oval about
seven feet high, the canvas being tackled
at the edges to a new American made
stretcher. Il had previously been badly
handled, the eye and nose having almost
entirely peeled oft
The person who offered the canvas for
sale called himself Fernando Garcia, a
Spaniard, and represented the painting
a treasure which had long been in his
family. He was willing to sell 1t for al
most any price, and when pressed to
name a figure suggested $3.50 or $500. For
the former sum il was secured by Mr..
Schaus, who handed it over 20 the Span
ish Consul.
MIR x. a wealthy land owner Of vi
enna, had collected q valuable gallery.
and when from home he permitted the
public to inspect his collection. sfoTemost
among which was the portrait Of a Dutch
admiral dating from the sixteenth cen
tury. painted by the Venetian artist Par
is BOrdOne one day he found that his
Bordone had been cut from the frame
and carried off. kilograms were at once
sent TO the different diplomatic represent
atives Of the AustrO-Hungarian Govern
ment abroad. giving an exact description
Of the picture, and offering El2V for its
recovery.
Some time after a stranger called at
the house saw Mr. ks secretary, and
arranged for the return Of the picture if
the reward were guaranteed and no queS-
tions asked. The conditions were accept
ed and the stranger brought q canvas
which, on being found 10 fit the frame
and correspond with the edges of the mu-
tilated picture. was accepted as the lost
BOrdOne. Mr.. X was OverjOyed TO see
the Dutch admiral gazing at him from
his frame and would have been the hap
piest man in the world but for a friend
expressing doubts as 10 the authenticity
Of the canvas. Close examination showed
that the suspicious were not unfounded.
He had given EIZ0 for a mere copy Of his
loved and lost BOrdOne.