Of interest to Rothschild followers: > > Sotheby's sued for �4.5m over Poussin they valued at > > �15,000 > > BY JOHN CHAPMAN > > > > WHEN 90-year-old recluse Ernest Onians died he left > > behind a treasure > > trove of paintings in the dilapidated water mill he > > called home. > > > > Art experts considered them just another collection > > of second-string > > masters. Hundreds went under the hammer at Sotheby's > > in London > > including one entitled The Sack of Carthage by > > Pietro Testa. > > > > But the picture was not what it seemed and has now > > landed London > > auction house Sotheby's with one of its biggest > > claims for > > compensation. Its experts allegedly wrongly > > attributed the painting > > to minor artist Testa and valued it at about > > �15,000. In fact, it > > was > > the work of 17th-century French artist Nicholas > > Poussin and was > > really entitled The Sack of Jerusalem. > > > > It was snapped up by a gallery, which recognised its > > potential, for > > �155,000, and was sold on to Jewish philanthropist > > Sir Jacob > > Rothschild and the Rothschild foundation for > > �4.5million. He in > > turn > > donated it to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem where > > it went on show. > > > > Now trustees of Mr Onians' estate have issued a writ > > against > > Sotheby's demanding �4.5million compensation for > > alleged > > negligence > > in failing to identify it. Solicitor Rupert Boswell, > > who is acting > > for the trustees, said: "I can confirm that a writ > > has been issued > > and served." Sotheby's spokesman Christopher > > Proudlove said the > > auction house "will be defending its position > > vigorously". > > > > The painting bought by Mr Onians for �12 in the > > 1940s was > > commissioned in Rome in 1626 by Cardinal Francesco > > Barberini and > > presented to Cardinal Richelieu in 1633. It is known > > to have passed > > through various French collections before > > disappearing at the start > > of the 18th century. > > > > Mr Onians hoarded 600 paintings, furniture, clocks > > and chinaware at > > his 18th-century home - Baylham Mill, near Ipswich, > > Suffolk. Objects > > were stacked from floor to ceiling in all his rooms > > and in two > > chicken sheds in his garden. > > > > The former grain merchant bought precious objects at > > country house > > sales that many dealers failed to value. His wife > > Daphne, a former > > model who died in 1983, introduced him to galleries > > in the capital. > > But he kept his personal Aladdin's Cave hidden away > > because he was > > paranoid about people wanting to steal it. > > > > In his later years he lived behind closed curtains > > with no visitors > > and rarely allowed workmen in because he did not > > trust them. He was > > so security-minded that he slept with a loaded > > shotgun by his bed and > > had a home-made system of string trip wires by > > windows, attached to > > loud klaxons powered by car batteries. The childless > > widower's > > collection was only revealed after he died in 1995 > > and experts valued > > the collection which most locals thought was cheap > > junk. The > > Sotheby's auction of his works of art made > > �1.2million. > > > > He was so good at concealing his valuables that > > burglars and robbers > > twice raided him and did not bother to take anything > > apart from cash. > > The worst incident was in 1980 when three armed men > > used a tree trunk > > to batter down his heavily-barred front door, tied > > him up and > > threatened to pistol-whip him before stealing �600 > > from his safe. > > > > His nephew John Onians, 58, professor of art history > > at the > > University of East Anglia, was one of the few to be > > allowed to see > > his treasures. Mr Onians, a trustee of his uncle's > > estate, said: "He > > never had his works of art valued when he was alive > > so nobody had any > > real idea how much they were worth. Ernest would > > have loved the idea > > that he had owned a masterpiece which was now > > hanging in Israel's > > national museum. > > > > "To the untrained eye his collection could easily > > have looked like > > piles of old rubbish in shabby and dirty rooms, but > > in any case he > > never allowed anyone apart from family into his > > house. The curtains > > were always closed and all the doors locked inside. > > He was the only > > one with keys and he would walk around with an > > enormous bunch of > > them. > > > > "He hoarded so many things. They overflowed out of > > rooms and his > > sheds outside. Some things were 50 deep. Paintings > > leant against each > > other like playing cards and grandfather clocks were > > marshalled like > > soldiers. But he chose to live mostly in his > > breakfast room which had > > simple furniture and no paintings in it at all. The > > discovery was the > > second involving Poussin recently. A year ago an > > apparently worthless > > painting in Liverpool turned out to be a lost > > classic now known to be > > Landscape With Bacchus And Ceres, worth millions of > > pounds. > > � Express Newspapers, 2000 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail � Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. 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