Thursday 27th October 2016

PRINCELY BUYER DEFENDS CRANACH OVER ‘FAKES’ CLAIMS

DIRECTOR OF LIECHTENSTEIN COLLECTION WILL REFUTE ACCUSATIONS ‘POINT TO POINT’

‘Venus’, a painting attributed to Lucas Cranach the Elder 

 

The buyer of an Old Master painting at the centre of a potential ‘fakes’ scandal has strongly defended its authenticity as a row threatens to erupt over its attribution.

With a probe into the work ongoing in France, the director of the ‘Princely Collections of Liechtenstein’ Dr Johann Kraeftner countered accusations over its authorship last week.

Kraeftner said he “had no reason to doubt the authenticity” of Venus by Lucas Cranach the Elder and added that they will refute divergent opinions.

The oil on panel is among the works that have been under close examination after a judge”in Paris ordered the seizure of the painting back in March.

The picture was sold to the Prince of Lichtenstein for €7m in 2013 by dealers Colnaghi.

Kraeftner asserts that, before the acquisition, reports from two Cranach experts confirmed the attribution as did two restoration reports commissioned.

No reason to doubt; “Taking into account all the evidence, (we) have no reason to doubt the authenticity of the painting, its authorship to Lucas Cranach the Elder and the origin of the panel to the 16th century”, said Kraeftner.

 

According to a recent article by Le Journal des Arts, Dieter Koepplin, one of the historians who approved the Cranach attribution at the time of the acquisition, is now convinced the work is “counterfeit”.

ATG made enquiries to the OCBC about the current state of the investigation but was still awaiting comment. Sotheby’s auctioneers decided the picture was “a forgery”.

(Antiques Trade Gazette – THE MARKET WEEKLY. 22 October 2016. Alex Capon & Laura Chesters)

 

 

Claire Moore BA(Hons)

GALLERY MANAGER

 

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