The Prado Museum does not intend to abandon the four paintings of old masters

The debate between the Museum of the National Heritage of Spain and the National Museum of the Prado in Madrid about the ownership of four important paintings by old masters continues. The management of the National Heritage Museum hopes that paintings worth up to 160 million euros and stored in the collection of the Prado Museum from the 1930s will still be on display by the time the museum opens in 2016. Last summer, Prado director Miguel Zugaza received a letter from José Rodríguez-Spiteri, president of the National Heritage Museum, asking him to return four controversial works: Jerome Bosch’s triptych “The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1500-1505), Table of the Mortal Sins (circa 1480), Tintoretto’s Hand Wash (The Foot Washing, 1548-1549) and Roger van der Weyden Descent from the Cross (Descent from the Cross, circa 1435). All these works were transferred to the Prado Museum for storage during the Spanish Civil War.

Tintoretto - Foot Wash

In an interview with The Art Newspaper, a spokeswoman for the National Heritage Museum said: “The works that we refer to belong to the royal collection (i.e., are a national heritage) and were given for temporary storage in Prado in 1943. The National Heritage Act of 1982 reinforced this position. The permanent collection of our museum will consist exclusively of works that are, historically, part of the national heritage. ”

Bosch - Garden of Earthly Delights (triptych)

Also, the spokeswoman declined to comment on Rodriguez-Spiteri’s statements published in the newspaper El Pais, in which he proposed joint ownership of these works. The official position of the Prado Museum was set out in April. It says that paintings by old masters were evacuated from the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Madrid between 1932 and 1936 and transferred to the museum. “This move was confirmed by the head of state in 1943,” Prado said in a statement. “These masterpieces are open, not privately owned and owned by all Spaniards. They are an integral part of the Prado identity. ” In addition, the government has repeatedly assured the Prado leadership that the work will remain in the museum. Spokesman for the Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, told El Pais in June 2014: “The government does not intend to interfere in the affairs of the Prado Museum in any case, these works will remain in the museum.”

At the end of last year, the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain, Jose Ignacio Werth, dispelled fears that Renaissance masterpieces would be transferred to the new museum. Appearing on Spanish television, Werth assured viewers that the issue was “resolved” and that there would be no transfer of work, EFE reported. Now the Ministry of Culture of Spain declined to comment on this statement.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru