Tuesday 15th November 2016
The painting – ‘NOLI ME TANGERE’
Noli Me Tangere (Don’t Touch Me) was lying awkwardly on the ground. One clumsy browser had trodden on the frame, causing the canvas to be pierced.
When antiques collector Stephen Hibberts discovered the dusty oil painting at a fair in Avignon, France, he believed he was buying an unremarkable reproduction worth a few hundred pounds at most.
Mr Hibberts with his painting ‘NOLI ME TANGERE’
After a time, having studied the work, Mr Hibberts began to suspect he had found something special. Several clues suggested the painting he had acquired for £270 in 2005 was not only much older than he thought, but could be a lost Raphael worth tens of millions of pounds.
The experts at Sotheby’s, the National Gallery, and Oxford and Cambridge universities assured Mr Hibberts he had found a Victorian fake, unconvinced, he asked scientists at Bradford University to date-test the paint.
They confirmed the pigments of the painting dated from early 16th century. A proof in itself – science can tell you about the pigments. But what it can’t tell you is the exact time that paint was placed on the canvas, nor whether it was a particular figure.
‘SIX TOES’
Nevertheless, the painting depicting the resurrected Christ appearing to three Marys, revealed tell-tale clues that it could well be the creation of one of the period’s Masters. Christ’s right foot is seen to have six toes – a motif common to Renaissance artists, and in particular, Raphael. There is also what appears to be a signature on the painting, though costly work is needed to identify it.
Mr Hibberts is hoping to raise enough money to restore the script so that it can finally be verified. But he said the research has confirmed his belief that the painting is genuine.
Yet another priceless masterpiece found to add to the haul of newly discovered masterpieces that have been unveiled this year alone. Only science can prove or disprove their authenticity – we are left waiting for the next one to appear, as if by magic.
Best Wishes
Claire Moore BA(Hons)
GALLERY MANAGER
WELCOME TO THE FLETCHER GATE FINE ART GALLERY
A FIRST SIGHT OF ‘TURNING TO STONE’ 