Miraculously Saved Painting Back to The Hermitage

A famous painting stolen in 2001, then secretly delivered back by thiefs, then restored  has finally come back to the Hermitage and is now being diplayed in a plastic “container”.

An incredible story. In March 2001, an unknown thief when visitng the museum in the opening time just cut the painting “Harem Pool” off its frame, folded it and took the piece of art with him away. We only can guess why he did so. Maybe he liked women pictured by Jean-Leon Gerome.

In 2007, the painting was mysteriously and miraculously delivered by again  unknown people to the residence of the Russian Communist party at the Russian parliament. The state of the painting was dramatically bad, actually it was divided into four separate pieces connected with each other by rare threads.

The process of restoration took two years, and now you can watch the painting in St. Petersburg. Experts say it’s not a “chef-d’oeuvre”, but I think that it’s because Jean-Leon Gerome has still not been promoted so much as many of his colleagues.  After the incident with his “Harem Pool”, he may start to be. What concerns me, I like his works.

The painting drawn in 1876 arrived  in Russia in late of the XIXth century, was specially bought for future Emperor Alexander III. Till 1918 it was the property of the Romanovs’ governing house,  and after the Great October Revolution was put in the Hermitage collection.

A beautiful site fully dedicated to Mr Gerome is here.

Now it’s put into a piece of plastic, for case of another attempt to steal it. This creates  some charm, doesn’t it?

Photo credit:  www.qxqx.ru