Art treasures found in London attic
November 16th 2006 23:11
London - Two Italian Renaissance paintings worth a fortune and missing since the start of the 19th century have been found in Britain in the spare room of a house, The Times reported on Tuesday.
The two small portraits of saints in mediaeval clothing are the missing panels from the altarpiece of the church and convent of San Marco in Florence, central Italy, painted by the monk Fra Angelico in 1439.
Broken up during the Napoleonic wars, six of the eight paintings that surrounded the main panel had been found and the whereabouts of the last two was described as one of art's greatest mysteries, the newspaper said.
The missing paintings are expected to raise more than one million pounds at auction in March.
They were found at the home of retired academic Jean Preston in Oxford, southern England, hanging behind a door in a spare room.
How's that for a windfall.
The two small portraits of saints in mediaeval clothing are the missing panels from the altarpiece of the church and convent of San Marco in Florence, central Italy, painted by the monk Fra Angelico in 1439.
Broken up during the Napoleonic wars, six of the eight paintings that surrounded the main panel had been found and the whereabouts of the last two was described as one of art's greatest mysteries, the newspaper said.
The missing paintings are expected to raise more than one million pounds at auction in March.
They were found at the home of retired academic Jean Preston in Oxford, southern England, hanging behind a door in a spare room.
How's that for a windfall.
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