Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-06
- ADVENTURES OF -
FAMOUS PICTURES e%1
MO)H& William G. Ftz-Gera1d F0Ay
Cut Out the Kings Head

Cut Out the Kings Head
A MOTHER great picture with a curious his
tory IS Holbein's Field of the Cloth of
Gold, which now hangs in the historic Hamp-
ton Court Palace, on the Thames near London
After the downfall of Charles L. Cromwell in
order to raise funds, proposed the sale of many
of the most valuable pictures in Great Britain,
and this masterpiece by Holbein was among the
number. The bargain had already been made ;
but when the would be purchaser came to
inspect the Field of the Cloth of Gold " he dis
covered to his amazement that the head OF
Henry VIII. had been cut completely out CT the
canvas. Naturally the buyer refused to accept
delivery OF the picture, and as a result it was
not even taken down from the wall of the green
drawing room OF the palace, where it now
hangs.
On the restoration of the monarchy, the
Earl of Essex confessed to having committed
the theft out of pure love of art, and now came
forward with the missing head, which was skill
fully reinserted into the torn canvas. Visitors
to Hampton Court always ask about the
curious circle around Henry VIII. S head in the
picture, and the guide tells them that this IS
the faint mark left by the knife of the patriotic
vandal.
Stories of Velasquez Paintings
A S a matter of fact, the time of the Civil War
in England caused great upheaval in the
art world, and many precious pictures were de-
stroyed or disappeared mysteriously; some
times to turn up generations later in most I'm
expected places. Thus a collection worth
nearly two million dollars, comprising master
pieces by Vandyke, Hobbema, Sir Peter Lely,
and Velasquez, was recovered from ali attic in
a rambling and picturesque old manor house in
Bucking hamshire.
There was also found an account of the loot
ing of certain London palaces by the parlia-
mentary forces Of Cromwell and IN it was
recorded the fact that several paintings by
great masters had so offended the Puritans that
they were Wrathfully slashed to ribbons by
the orders of Coionel Wigginson." Not long
after this remarka bic recovery OF pictures, two
other Hobbemas and superb portrait by
Nandyke were accidentally found hanging in
the humble bed room of Buckingham farmer.
Some of the masterpieces of Velasquez have
had strange adventures. Among them is the
gorgeous Venus with the Mirror recently
bought for the British National Gallery at a
cost of two hundred thousand dollars. How
this treasure got into the possession OF an Or
binary country gentleman, H. f. Merritt of
Rokeby Hall in Yorkshire, is long story. 1t
originally among the royal treasures in
Madrid, and was found by the Duke of Yelling
ton, cut out of its frame and rolled up like
much brown paper. when that great warrior
captured Joseph Bona parties travelling car
riage the bloody field OF Vittoria.
1t IS clear that Napoleon's brother had as
passionate love of art as the Dukes of Este,
carriage the wonderful silver framed Repent
ant Magdalen of Correggio which is now the
gem of gems in the national collection at
Florence.
Certainly the Duke of Wellington on this oc-
casion made a rich haul of art treasures There
were probably twenty thirty great pictures
in the carriage altogether, and of these five
were by SPANS greatest master, Diego Rod
ri guez de Silva Velasquez. Some of the finest
of these masterpieces formed the nucleus of the
famous Wellington collection of pictures now
hanging in Apslev House. the Hyde Park
palace the British nation presented to the first
Duke of Wellington.
Got Master for 1915
A VEL ASQUEZ worth seventeen thousand
= dollars was acquired by tourist in Gran
ada some years ago for less than four dollars
and hereby hangs quite story of adventure.
The traveller was a Young French clerk
named Dandin, and he arrived one night at a
small village on the northern slope of the
Sierra de Baza. The only inn was wretched
place OF sinister appearance. Night was closing
in, however, and there other habitation
for the pedestrian on the mountain road.
Moreover, brigandage had been rife. Dandin
entered the inn, and was fairly well received.