Lost, stolen or strayed

This is a strange, tantalising book of unintentional poetry; it is rather like a book plucked from the shelves of one of Jorge Luis Borges’ impossible libraries. The first book of the celebrated philanthropist, collector and Daimler heir, Gert-Rudolf ‘Muck’ Flick, it is a highly scholarly and lucid biography of a dozen or so great paintings; a biography so far as it is known, since this is the story of the provenance and history of paintings now thought to be lost. None of them is definitely destroyed; another book could be written about such works, like ‘The Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn’, which many of Hogarth’s contemporaries thought his greatest painting, which now is only known through a stunning engraving. Instead, these are simply works which are known to have existed, which in most cases were of sufficient celebrity to be recorded, copied or engraved at the time, which subsequently disappeared and have never resurfaced. In most cases, it must be assumed that they were destroyed. What gives this book its powerful allure is the possibility that this did not happen, and at any moment, a painting as great as Chardin’s ‘L’Ztude du dessin’ or a sculpture like Michelangelo’s bronze David might simply come to light.

In many cases, the disappearance of these works is profoundly mysterious, since they were highly valued from the moment of their production. The two Chardin domestic pieces, ‘L’Ztude du dessin’ and ‘La bonne Zducation’, date from 1748-9, and after being exhibited at the Salon were acquired by the Crown Princess of Sweden, the sister of Frederick the Great. It was not a casual acquisition; Count Tessin, the Swedish Chancellor, had developed a considerable taste for contemporary French painting while serving as ambassador in Paris and must be viewed as one of the most discerning and interesting patrons of French art (I wish someone would write a book about him).