Since I stopped collecting weekly “historical highlights” and sending out my monthly newsletter, I haven’t been coming across stories of long lost manuscripts or rediscovered paintings like I used to. However, I did a little digging around and came up with some articles to share.
Imagine buying a house and finding a sealed-off attic that concealed a photography studio with stacks of portraits — including one of Susan B. Anthony!
A collection of British literature (including handwritten material from the Brontës and Robbie Burns) reappeared after 100 years of obscurity.
Construction workers discovered two 17th century frescoes when working on the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
An 1823 copy of the Declaration of Independence was discovered in Scotland and sold at auction for $4.42 million, more than five times the pre-sale estimate.
A drawing of Saint Ursula showing “a unique combination of Renaissance Italian elegance and Northern Mannerist eccentricity” was missing for 63 years — it was found in the US after being last seen in Vienna.
A painting by Willem de Kooning was stolen from a museum in 1985 and recovered at an estate sale in 2017; unfortunately it was damaged during the heist and very poorly repaired… “A word of advice to all the art thieves out there: put in a few good years as a conservationist before you go slapping paint and varnish onto the masterpieces you nab. It’s really the least you can do.”
The “Indiana Jones of the art world” has tracked down a precious manuscript by 15th century Persian poet Hafez.
College students at Rochester Institute of Technology developed a UV imaging system and then used it to find hidden writing in a 15th century manuscript.
The British Museum has acquired 103 drawings by Japanese artist Hokusai that had been hidden away in a private collection.
Yes, I did hear about one, but not recent — the discovery was in the 19th century. A previously unknown “Life of Gregory” (the pope who sent missionaries to England in 597) was found in a monastery in Switzerland. It had been written in the 7th century at Whitby Abbey in northern England, quite possibly by a nun. Lost for over a thousand years!