Getting new collectors interested in Old Masters is often seen as a difficult task, not just because of changing fashions but also given the complexities of this market. These include questions of attribution, with the latter recently stoked by the ‘Ruffini Affair’ (see ATG No 2262).
A painting that passed through French dealer Giulano Ruffini’s ownership, attributed to Lucas Cranach the Elder, was sold by Colnaghi in 2013 (under Konrad Bernheimer’s management at the time). Venus with a Veil was sold to the Princely Collections of Liechtenstein for €7m but has since been seized in France and had its attribution questioned.
It remains to be seen whether the French investigation will lead to a report being published but in November, the director of the Liechtenstein collection released a document to counter claims that the work is a forgery.