Emanuela

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isabella

Stealing Art

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Art-Test offers you a review of recently publications such as books, TV series, interviews, etc.

‘This Is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist’. TV series.

Art thefts have their charm and are always particularly interesting because they shed light on the entire sector.

On March 18, 1990, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston was looted by a gang of thieves. In the series now on air, period footage is mostly used, with interviews to those who were then the Boston police and to FBI agents who dealt with it. In 1990 we did not have the scientific means we have today, but in particular in the United States it was not clear what the turnover was regarding illicit acts in the world of art, so much so that the FBI did not have a specially dedicated division. But the constant increase in the value of works of art had not escaped the “underworld”. And the 4 episodes of the series not only tell about the theft but place it within the world of organized crime, the world of drug dealing, assuming that perhaps some of the paintings, even if unsaleable on the legal market, could have been used as a “guarantee” for the trade in cocaine. Somehow, the criminal world was ahead of the legal one.

To date, no work has been recovered; there is still a prize of 10 million dollars for information leading to the recovery of the works.

A fate common to many works of art, not least the Nativity of Caravaggio, whose theft in 1969 convinced the Italian Carabinieri to equip themselves with a special unit, a pioneering activity, given that they were the first in the world and that remains still a point of reference today.

Stolen art is difficult to trace, since it is relatively easy to move and can remain hidden for decades before being resold. To counter this trade, databases of stolen artworks have been created, both public, such as that of the Carabinieri, and private ones where, however, each search is against payment.

Of course, as with all databases, their usefulness depends on the content, on the accuracy of the information in it. We recommend that you draw up a file as complete as possible for each work of art you own. This will make it easier to recover in the, hopefully unlikely, event of a theft. Art-Test is of course also at your disposal in this. A small investment you won’t regret!

(Emanuela Massa)
(Emanuela Massa)

 

copertina articolo SALERNO

Is a citation not enough?

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It is recent news the publication of a call promoted by the Province of Salerno, in which professional conservatories were invited to apply to lend their work for the restoration of the institution’s heritage, totally for free. In exchange for it , the call just mentioned some promotion.
It is upsetting, but it didn’t surprise us. In fact, what was written in a public call in Italy, a country where restoration should be a serious affair, is not far from what we have been seeing for years now.
The truth is that we are a country that restores its works almost exclusively thanks to philanthropists or associations, who engage in constant fundraising.
The perpetuation of our beauty is now entrusted to the availability of enthusiasts, often foreigners, who donate money, even considerable amounts (often to be able to deduct them from taxes) to fill needs that should instead find support from our Public Administration.
All this could be less bad if the lack of funds to allocate to this sector did not also have the consequence of degrading the professionalism of those who carry out the works, and minimizing  the restorations budgets, where even diagnostics, therefore the deep knowledge of the work and its conservative problems, is made redundant or carried out with non-scientific methodologies and technologies,  becoming therefore fundamentally useless.
The value of the restorer’s work cannot be relegated to a mention on the plaque that flanks the restored work.
You cannot repay the professionalism acquired in years of study and practice with a citation in the newspaper.
The expression ‘there is not enough money’ is not justified. The money must be found.


The restoration carried out with minimal budget will totally be to the detriment of the work and society as a whole, because, the most suitable care for its preservation for future generations will not be carried out.


A disaster that has been announced for far too long, which none of the public institutions really seem to want to tackle.
Perhaps it is time not to ask for unilateral sacrifices and really recognise the importance of this sector for the preservation of our heritage. Not just words (and citations).

(Emanuela Massa)
(Emanuela Massa)
tombaroli-3

You always have to be a step ahead of the tomb rider

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Sono aperte le iscrizioni alla Scuola di Archeologia Giudiziaria

Unfortunately, the world of archaeological heritage is increasingly subjugated by criminal practices. The mind immediately goes to the infamous “grave robbers” who have plundered and still plunder our soil and our seas in search of antiquities.

But this practice has also been documented, for example, to the detriment of the Medici tombs.

The portraits of the Medici family, especially those of women, display their splendid jewels, with which they were often buried. As early as 1857, the director of the State Archives and Grand Ducal Antiques Dealer, Luigi Passerini Orsini de’Rilli, in charge of the Reconnaissance of the bodies of the Grand Dukes, found that many of these had been desecrated and deprived of the precious objects they contained.

How to defend yourself?

Archaeology, and art in general, need more and more competent professionals.

The fight against criminal activities in this sector passes through the institutions set up by the States, with the help of professional, who operate in the judicial and extra-judicial sphere, with adequate and complete academic preparation.

In this context  that the Centre for Criminological Studies – Cultural Heritage Area – Judicial Archaeology Department in collaboration with the Archeomafie International Observatory, is programming a BIENNALE SCHOOL OF HIGHER EDUCATION on  “JUDICIAL ARCHEOLOGY AND CRIME AGAINST CULTURAL HERITAGE“, where Art-Test’s experts will teach.

The school is aimed at graduates in archaeology, history of art, architecture, conservation of cultural heritage, restoration and other disciplines in the legal and humanistic sectors.

For those interested here is the link: https://bit.ly/3mWTV6x

 

(Emanuela Massa)

(Emanuela Massa)

copertina modigliani

Modigliani under Investigation

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Life, death, his fortune, the inheritance he left, the history of the “Archives”, fakes, foundations, exhibitions.

Already in January we discussed the innovative exposition that the Museum of Lille created for Amedeo Modigliani. An exhibition with an investigative approach. But, given the pandemic we are in, it was not possible to open it, and also the related Symposium did not take place.

But the scrutiny of the Labronian painter and his work, does not stop. “L’affare Modigliani” published by Chiarelettere is a book rich of information, all supported by references to sources. It tackles all the hot topics, including fakes and the role of foundations. Three hundred pages where the story is organized into “crime scenes“. where each topic is treated with scientific rigor.

Our favourite chapter is of course the one where Modigliani’s technique is illustrated through material analysis. Of course, we would have liked it to be even more detailed but we realize that a substantial appendix would have been necessary.

If you haven’t read it yet, waiting for the French exhibition, Art-Test recommends it.

(Emanuela Massa)
(Emanuela Massa)
copertina RETRO

What’s behind it?

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A year has passed, we have 12 months behind us in which our life and our work have changed.

Looking back to understand the present is part of our work, as is the careful study of the “back” of a painting.

Very often the “verso”, “back” of a work makes the “front”, the “recto” more understandable. We know that artists from the 15th century began to sign their works on the front, but in recent times many chose to put their signature on the back, also indicating a date.

But in addition to the signature, true or fake, on the back we can find stamps, labels, codes: each of these elements is an important fact in the reconstruction of the work’s past.

Codes referable to the cataloguing in a collection or to lot number in an auction. Stamps imposed by protection offices or customs and labels of various kinds. But even this kind of data can be forged. The first doubts may arise during a careful condition report, but specific diagnostic analyses can be targeted to understand if they are original elements. For example, a colour label, created with a dot matrix printer, cannot be produced for an exhibition in 1975 !

Perhaps not everyone knows that the court case of one of the most famous contemporary counterfeiters: Wolfgang Beltracchi (born Wolfgang Fisher), began with a label on the back of a painting bearing the words “Collection Flechtheim“, when it was known that Flectheim was indeed an important collector, but never put labels.

In short, looking at the back is as important as studying the front. Knowing a “verse” well, helps us to better understand the “front”. In the same way we must look at this past year with attention to understand well  our present and thus try to imagine our future.

(Emanuela Massa)

(Emanuela Massa)

piattino montanari 2

Precious colours of the empire

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The recent discovery of a very rare Chinese porcelain reminds us of another remarkable discovery for Eastern art and technique in which we were involved.

A few days ago, thanks to a search started in 2014, a RU bowl belonging to the Song dynasty was identified within the collection of the Dresden museum. A similar specimen was auctioned, and sold, in 2017, to the record price of 37.7 million dollars.

For the exclusive use of the imperial court, the colour of these porcelain is a particular blue shade made possible by the presence of agate. Poetically it is described as “blue of the sky in a clearing of the clouds after the rain”.

The subject of the discovery made by working together with S.T.Art-Test and the scholar Riccardo Montanari,  on an object of oriental origin too, was also colour, and its trade and use in the East.

The original aim of the research was to demonstrate how non-invasive investigations could be alternatives to micro-destructive ones and diriment in the authentication of oriental porcelain. Thus, favouring non-invasive diagnostics, the study featured a polychrome enameled Mukozuke porcelain, also very rare, produced in the Kan’ei period.

In particular, the analyses investigated blue and yellow pigments. The yellow surprisingly turned out to be Naples Yellow, a novelty for Japanese production. A somewhat destabilizing discovery.

But this data was crossed with historical sources, and it was possible to understand how the Jesuits imported, in their mission to Japan, the Renaissance technique of majolica decoration and therefore the use of this yellow pigment.

Only later, did the Japanese potters transfer this know-how to their Chinese colleagues.

Another step in the endless journey of research. Here is the article for those wishing to read more

(Emanuela Massa)
(Emanuela Massa)
IMG-8189

Young is Beautiful (and Efficient)

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Polemiche pretestuose sul nuovo direttore di Pompei

Gabriel Zuchtriegel is the new director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park. Not even 48 hours have passed since the appointment and the controversy is pressing. He is judged to be “too young” with “little experience”. On the contrary, during last years, we were able to appreciate his passion and professionalism, and his academic preparation.

In 2014, thanks to AIAr, we participated in the studies conducted on archaeological finds from Paestum. The goal was to contribute to an exhibition that highlighted the morbid drives behind the theft or the purchase of archaeological finds from clandestine excavations.

Thanks to the team scientific investigations it has been possible to understand which pieces were original and which were fakes, created for pure fraudulent purposes.

In 2016 we replicated the Paestum experience by being part of the research group that studied “The diver” and “the lovers”, as well as the “palmettes” tomb decorations.

The results of the first campaign can be consulted in the catalogue of the “Possession” exhibition. Outcomes of the second investigations were presented in the latest edition of Florence Heri-Tech and published OpenAccess.

Art-Test wishes the best wishes to the new director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, may the work and the results that are unanimously recognized for the Paestum area (Museum, redevelopment of the perimeter areas, development of the tourist industry) be replicated in his new assignment.

(Emanuela Massa)
(Emanuela Massa)
floris

I saw a Cat

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Cats… they hide everywhere and pop up when you do not expect them! For example, in this painting by Frans Floris in which a cat is visible only thanks to Reflectography, as it is not present in the final version. 
And, did you know that a painting very similar to this one, now at the Palatine Gallery in Florence, can be seen in the  “Cabinet d’amateur”, which represents the workshop of Jan Suellincks and is attributed to J. Franken II (now at the Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts in Brussels)? Can you spot it? Will there be a cat underneath there too?🐱

(Emanuela Massa)
(Emanuela Massa)

 

corricella nl21

Procida Italian Capital of Culture 2022

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Procida Capital of Italian Culture almost seemed to be an oxymoron. An island, a territory albeit full of history, tradition, very small and on top of it,  in the middle of the sea. To apply, knowing that the beautiful postcards with Procida unrivalled landscapes,  that have been used by the most renowned brands for years, would not be enough, seemed a gamble. Also because the competition  did not require  to rattle off  own virtues and dowry only, but to go further: to propose a vision of culture that was more attentive to the evolution of human relationships and the environment. The project manager, Agostino Riitano (formerly at the helm of Matera’s candidacy as European Capital of Culture) expressed himself as follows immediately after the announcement: “It was an epochal victory because the commission understood that the Procida project incorporates a paradigm shift of culture in our country, not only large cities of art but also, and above all, the extraordinary cultural heritage spread in small towns. We are convinced that the concept of “minor” contains the  prophecy of a change in the country’s cultural policies. During the hearing held on 15 January, visible to all on the MIBACT youtube channel (in Italian), the proposal for the small island was described as “the largest project comes from the smallest place”. Things like these don’t happen by chance, it’s not enough just to have the best professional, but you need to have a long-term vision of the future of your territory, involving at least one generation. Perhaps it is for this reason that the budget that MIBACT makes available (1 million) is not sufficient to cover all the costs that are used to cover the entire project. The ability of the city to make everything sustainable, which is indispensable, is also evaluated.
Thus Franceschini, the Italian Minister of Culture: “The project is (…) capable of transmitting a poetic message, a vision of culture that extends from the small reality of the island as a wish for all of us, to the country in the months that await “.

Go Procida Go! The fun has just started

 

 

(Emanuela Massa)

modigliani

Modigliani for all

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Never have paintings raised more doubts on authenticity than those attributable to Amedeo Modigliani.

Even when they are signed, with flawless provenance, doubt lingers.

For years, a painting hwas accepted as authentic only if accompanied by the expertise of very few “connoisseurs”, very often without any scientific dossier or, if existing, only self-referential.

The opinions pronounced by these “names”, even with a faint voice, could, and did, decree the fortune or oblivion of a painting.

Modigliani’s paintings have for years been the subject of studies, sometimes even pseudo-mathematical, on the proportions of the faces or the precise distance of the eyes. But the parameters to establish an authentic Modigliani are still unclear or in any case considered the prerogative of very few. Creating a monopoly that is everything but transparent and scientific.

However,, perhaps also thanks to the many scandals, the situation is changing. Soon there will be a new database to study, new reference elements!

For the first time, the investigations on a substantial number of Modigliani will be presented in an exhibition, and they will be shared. 

Thanks to a powerful diagnostic campaign carried out by C2RMF on 27 paintings, including two copies, and three sculptures, all from public collections, the secrets of Modi’ will be disclosed.

We will be able to dive into diagnostics during the exhibition that will open next February (hopefully), and to listen carefully to what will be discussed during the Symposium on March 17-18.

Starting with Antonia (in the image a collage of the investigations).

 

 

 

(Emanuela Massa)

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