Titian was an important painter in the 1500s in Italy, and since there was no cable TV in Italy then, looking at paintings was more popular than now. He was considered the most important painter of the Renaissance in Venice, and even today, his influence is felt among artists in the Nashville area. They call themselves the Tennessee Titians.
Be that as it may, he once did a masterpiece called “The Rest on the Flight into Egypt” that has been in and out of many hands since he oiled it in 1510. Napoleon's troops ripped it off and then it passed around in royal collections for centuries. It was in the home of a British marquess in 1995 and was stolen from there!
And seven years later, an art detective not named Art Detective found the painting in a blue and white plastic bag at a bus stop in London. For three months, the guy carried it around in his car, thought it was something his wife wanted him to take back to Sears, and he didn't get around to it right away. Priorities, am I wrong?
And then, a couple of weeks ago, “The Rest on the Flight into Egypt” went for more than $22 million at Christie’s.
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| A little lower on the right, please... |
They don't say if the frame was included in that 22 million price. I think it would look better in something less, I'm gonna say "gaudy," but what do I know from art? I know it's a depiction of the time when Joseph took Mary and young Jesus to Egypt because Joseph dreamed that King Herod was out to kill his son. The painting shows Mary cradling the baby.
It's a nice painting, but 22 large? I mean, if your living room is done in deep red and ultramarine blue, you got a match. If not, you might have to change out the drapes.
I told you, I don't know anything about art.
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