STOLEN!

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 171, 13 April 1908, Page 7

STOLEN!

ART GALLERY BURGLED.

COSTLY PAINTING MISSING. THE "LEADER" LANDSCAPE CONE. Probably • the biggest sensation; that tho local world of art has experienced is contained in the fact that between: 5.30 p.m. on/.Saturday- and 2.30 -p.m.''yesterday the New Zealand. Academy, of Fino Arts': build- . ingiin JBallahco Street was cleverly-broken into, : and- tho famous painting by Mn.B. TV.: Leader, R.A., stolen. The .-.picture,--'one of the largest, and certainly tho most expensive, ' in . thci '.'Gallery, \ was ' missed - frofil its place by .-.several visitors to ; trio gallery yesterday- Afternoon,- and on v inquiry being mado-as to ;its whereabouts,' the .astonishing news that it was missing was learned. On further inquiry • being made, a Dominion representative learned-,that the discovery of tho theft' was' made by Mr. Walter Leslie, the well-known , local' artist, who, as a keen admirer of art in its'; various forms, had undertaken'' to • open -up - ; and supervise the gallery- yostorday afternoon, a duty that devolves- weekly on members-, and iriends of tho Art Society.. • • , - , DISCOVERY OF THE THEFT. . Mr. .Leslie was somewhat loath to speak of tho . matter .at all owing to a Request not\to do. so from the police, but under pressure ho consented to add a. few particulars, t® thoso collected from other sources. When he: arrived at tho Gallery, the first thing that struck him as strange was the discovery that tho key-hole was plugged, tut after a little manoeuvring with a blade of his ..pen-knifo; he succeeded, in. extracting . a wooden; plug, which had been pared down so as to fit;the key-hole exactly. , On entering ho took a cursory look round, and noticed , that , tlie ."Leader": was .missing from , its place on tho northern wall,: immediately to,the.right of• the mam entranco. This did^notstrike him at .first as anything untoward, as he knew there had been some talk. of . hanging tho, Brangwyn and other new pictures, which arrived recently. from , England, and concluded that tho displacement of .the ".Leader'.' was-part- of tho , Bchemo of re-arrangement. But on a further, look round, for the missing canvas ho discovered tho empty frame lying-on tho floor of the rear anto-room to the Gallery, tlie.- top of the window, at tho back open, and a dark lantern, '.'jemmy,"- and other burglarious tools'left strewn, about the floor.The ianvas ■ had not been cut att all, for ' the. light'-! frame to : which . it was tapked; was dovoid of all., vestige, of . canvas, showing that, it had been removed intact. On his suspicions being confirmed beyond all doubt, Mr. Leslie communicated with tho President - of the. Academy, (Mr. U. S. ,Wardell),fand with; that, gentleman..hb repaired to; tho Pohco: Station .to report: tho matter.■■■■■■ . Evidenco as to the interval during which : the burglary, must have .been committed is '/supplied*.in the fact that the "Leader" was -•in-.: its, place when Mr. Warded Jcft ' tho .Gallery at 5.30 p.m. on Saturday, so : that wherover. the artistic spoil may bo, it cannot have.-travelled'.far-as yet.: THE: PAINTING DESCRIBED, n v . ' The missing picture .(a"canvas«iibout 4ft. . by!' oft.) '.'represented ;an 'English landscape— a-.view : from-the Surrey 1 hills—a fow tall treesi lm-the'-higli'' foreground; and' a-- vast: extent' of undulating' countryside, stretchingaway" into the hazy : distance. It was not ■ a work of much colour, or imagination,'"but was "a -master study . in'distance; 'The picture, was-brought: to-New Zealand; by (Mr.- ■ A.,.* A.' Longden, .with numerous - other examples of English-art, for tho New Zealand . Exhibition, where it was catalogued at £600. It was purchased by Mrs; W. B. Rhodes,: of ;, this city, for- : 'a littlo under-' that sum, and ' was- -presented by -that .lady - to 'the Gallery-last-year. ■ • ■ : Tho, plugging of- the key-holo in 'the man- : fior described above was evidently a' care- . fully-thought-out. moans:of giving the burg- ■ lar :or ' burglars time.' to - decamp : if anyone ' •,- in • authority possessing a key happened to chanoe . along: when the - operation of removing the-.canvas-was in-progress. Tho incident would. seein to ; indicate 'that the' thieves wero woll practise dm' their nefarious' art. . Tho finding of; the • tools would seem to indicate that, tho burglars - had been 7 disturbed, or had takon alarm;: as f it "is considered a , vory unprofessional thing to do to leavo . -tools behind-on the completion of a job. Both the Art -Society and Mrs. Rhodes . are'to be'..commiserated.'-'with' onvthe loss of , w valuable a painting, and iti is to be hoped - ( that it will bo safely recovered-