Pictures in Peril

Many great works of art have histories as bizarre and gripping as the wildest of adventure stories. Menaced by natureby flood and fire, by sea and earthquake; menaced, too, by man-by theft and war, by violence and ignorance and fanaticism—their survival is sometimes near to the miraculous. To facilitate transport some pictures have been cut into pieces—Rubens’ great altarpiece ‘The Adoration of the Holy Trinity’, for example; others, like Raphael's 'Christ Carrying the Cross', have been shipwrecked; the "Mona Lisa' was stolen from the Louvre and for a considerable time completely lost to the world. Ignorant and incompetent restorers have done irretrievable damage: Jerome Lanière, employed by Charles I to treat paintings damaged in transit, at first tried pure saliva, then added warm milk but without success'.

Throughout the ages handfuls of fanatics—religious and political—have, in brief outbursts of senseless destruction, robbed the rest of mankind of priceless portions of their common inheritance. As a vicious by-product of war and revolution there has been looting and wholesale destruction.

Of all these adventures and many more this book is a brilliant and lively survey. From the Iconoclastic riots in Byzantium to the appalling Nazi looting during the Second World War its pace and interest are unflagging. Fascinating personalities throng its pages-Lord Duveen, the great dealer; the American millionaire buyers; Van Meegeren, the forger; the artists themselves. It is admirable entertainment; and provides a new dimension to our enjoyment of our artistic heritage.