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March 2, 2010
Leonardo for Ransom
A fascinating take on how much ransom to ask for a stolen Leonardo, and how it was recovered:
In mid-December 2009, Leonardo's "Madonna of the Yarnwinder," which was stolen from the Duke of Buccleuch's collection at Drumlanrig Castle in 2003 and recovered in 2007, was placed on display at the National Gallery of Scotland. The painting, which currently hangs in a room filled with Raphael's and Renaissance masters, will be exhibited at the Gallery for a limited time only. It was last shown at the National Gallery of Scotland in 1991 when it was juxtaposed against a copy that was likely produced by Leonardo Da Vinci's workshop (now in a private collection). A similar visual comparison was made at the Milanese Exhibition at the Burlington Arts Club in 1898 (Nicholas Penny. "Leonardo's Madonna of the Yarnwinder" in The Burlington Magazine Edinburgh. National Gallery of Scotland. Vol. 134, No. 1073 Aug., 1992, pp. 542-544).Around the corner from the Gallery at the high court in Edinburgh, the trial has begun of five men, who are accused of organizing a plot to extort money from the Duke of Buccleuch for the safe return of the painting.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at March 2, 2010 7:27 AM