Art gone

Publication: Sunday Sun
Paper Section And Page: 32A
Paper Date: Sun, Jul 23, 2000
Byline: by Terry Ally

A NUMBER of precious works of art and priceless Barbadian antique furniture have gone missing from one of the island’s oldest hotels and this has prompted calls from a number of organisations for legislation to stem what some see as a haemorrhage of Barbadian heritage.

The Barbados Arts Council and Barbados Gallery of Art said this incident reinforced the need for such legislation, while the Barbados National Trust and the Barbados Museum and Historical Society are on record calling on Government to bring into law the pending
Preservation of Antiquities Act.

The original mahogany desk the pirate Sam Lord used vanished into mid-air along with another three pieces of mahogany antique furniture and 11 works of art by artists from the 18th and 19th centuries, sometime between 1994 and 1995. SUNDAY SUN investigations revealed that while Sam Lord’s Castle was under the management of Marriott International, staff were systematically instructed to remove the paintings to another section of the property; apparently to be shipped abroad for restoration.

But Marriott has denied any hand in the disappearance of the works.

“Except for propriety information, everything was left behind when Marriott International departed from Barbados,” public relations officer June Farrell told the SUNDAY SUN.

Efforts to locate the manager of the day for comment were unsuccessful and Farrell said he no longer worked for Marriott.

Two years ago, a thorough search was done by a team led by the Barbados National Trust but they failed to locate the items. Among the missing items was a portrait of the Duke of York by the renowned and prolific 18th century British artist Sir Joshua Reynolds. It had been conservatively valued at between US$500 000 to US$1 million.

However, Melinda McCurdy, research associate of British and Continental Art at Huntington Art Gallery in California, said the original Reynolds piece was in the Queen’s private collection in Buckingham Palace and Barbados most likely had only a copy.

Nick Whittle, of the National Art Gallery Committee, said this did not lower the importance of the work.

“Whether by Tom, Dick or Harry . . . that does not diminish the issue. It is still a work of art, which, to all our knowledge, was wrapped up in the whole Sam Lord’s Castle history.”

See also:

Missing furniture

  1. Sam Lord’s desk: travelling mahogany desk, heavily bonded with brass, with Sam Lord’s crest, the horned swan, in brass on the lid.
  2. Sheraton mahogany card table with a “pillar and claw” design.
  3. Mahogany pier-table (dwarf bookcase) with a white marble top support by monopodia (a single leg) with carved acanthus leaves and scrolls.
  4. Mahogany commode with circular paws, with carved acanthus leaves and scrolls.

Missing paintings

  1. Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723): Full-length portrait of James Brydges, Duke of Chandos.

    2.
  2. Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-92): Portrait of the Duke of York.

    3.
  3. Thomas Beach (1738-1806): Portrait of unknown sitter.

    4.
  4. John Hoppner (1758-1840): Portrait of unknown sitter.

    5.
  5. Marcus Stone (1840-1921): The Court of Henry VIII with Henry and Anne Boleyn.

    6.
  6. Bartholomew Van der Helst of the Dutch School (1630-70): Portrait of a Dutch Gentleman.

    7.
  7. Alexandre Francois Desportes of French School: A still life.

    8.
  8. Francesco Zucarelli (1702-88) of the Italian School: Landscape scene.

    9.
  9. Contemporary painting Carnival by Calogiro.

    10.
  10. Contemporary painting La Madeline, Paris by G. Kluge.

    11.
  11. Lely (1618-1680) portrait of Lord Rochester