Enigmatic £20m lady who hid a startling secret
‘El Greco’ masterpiece ISN’T his work
IT is a mystery that has long baffled and divided art lovers.
Is Lady in a Fur Wrap, owned by Glasgow Museums, really the work of 16th century artist El Greco? Or is she actually by another Spanish Renaissance painter, Alonso Sánchez Coello.
Now, after a four-year study, Scots researchers have finally discovered the truth... and confirmed the £20million portrait is by Coello.
The study, led by Glasgow University with Glasgow Museums, involved Spanish art and history scholars, plus scientific analysis of the paint and even the brush strokes used.
Project leader Dr Hilary Macartney said: ‘Alonso Sánchez Coello was the
‘Will intrigue for generations’
principal portraitist at Philip II’s court and much favoured by the king. In his time he was more admired than El Greco. The misattribution of the Lady was instrumental in establishing El Greco’s reputation outside Spain in the 19th century. Now, at last, it will re-establish the international reputation Sánchez Coello deserves.’
Lady in a Fur Wrap was painted in the late 1570s and the identity of the model remains unknown. The identity of the artist has been debated for more than a century.
Journalist Antonio Garcia, who in 2014 accused Glasgow City Council chiefs of blocking scientific tests on the painting, said: ‘Anyone – without being in any way an art expert – can see that the colours used and the perfect facial features of this enigmatic lady have nothing to do with the style of El Greco.’
The portrait was brought to Scotland in 1853 after being bought for £1,857 by Sir William
Stirling Maxwell, after the end of its display in the Louvre in Paris. His family donated the painting to Glasgow in 1967 and it is displayed at Pollok House.
It is not yet known if its value will be affected by the disclosure that it is not an El Greco. Duncan Dornan, head of collections at Glasgow Museums, said: ‘The identity of the mysterious lady is still unanswered. Lady in a Fur Wrap will intrigue for generations to come.’