AN ART SENSATION.

Mataura Ensign, 18 March 1910, Page 3

AN ART SENSATION.

CABLE NEWS.

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH COPYRIGHT. PEE UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.

"THE LUCAS BUST." WHAT AN ANALYSIS SHOWS. Received .March 18, 8.40 a.m . BERLIN, March 17. A" analysis of the wax composing the "Flora" bust, which Dr W. Bode, director <>t the Berlin Art Gallery, purchased in ICngland for a large price, attributing it to Leonardo de Vinci, the famous sixteenth century artist, shows thai it consists ol lac sjiormaceti and beeswax, the same composition as tho artist .Mr R. C. I.nous was in the habit ot using. It is thought that the bust is probably one of Lucas's, as spermaceti was unknown before 17(J(). The London 'Times' of October 23 last describes the bust, and the Southampton auctioneer who handled it in a subsequent letter to the paper states Ilia! Lucas was brought to all association art dealer named Buchanan who bought him a reputed picture by Leonardo de Vinci. This picture was copied in oils bv Albert 1 hirer Lucas, son ot R. ('. Lucas. Buchanan asked R. C. Lucas il he could reproduce the subject of the picture in the form of a wax bust, as there would he a good market for it. Lucas undertook the commission, which was duly completed. Subsequently Buchanan was unable to carry out his share of the bargain but took away the Leonardo de Vinci picture, leaving the bust in the hands of the artist.

I he result of the expert- investigation of Or Bocle's bust was officially published in the 'North Gorman Gazette' reeently. The bust was bought in England lor i 9200, Dr Rode declaring it to be a work of Leonardo, and assertmg that the so-called "Lucas bust" was a clumsy copy. Subsequently he admitted that his bust and the "clumsy copv were one and the same. Mr A D Lucas's statement that old clothes put there by his father would lie found in the bust was verified, but the Gorman experts still clung to their belief that tlio.v had a Leonardo. The word ."V lr( '°" c,o<,s llot appear in the official report of the work. Tt is described throughout merely as "the prosent bust." The report is preceded bv a statement signed by the Expert ConimiHsion of the Royal Museum, reading as follows:—"Mr Murray Marks, of London, offers a large wax bust of a voting, half-nude woman, perhaps by Leonardo. The Commission unanimously approves the purchase and declares tho acquisition of the bust to be one oi the most eminent enrichments of our collections.—Bode, Goldschmidt, Justi." fiien follow exhaustive technical statements regarding chemical, photographic and X-rav examinations. Professor iMicthe, who made the photographic analyses, explains how he disproved Dr Bode s contention that tho Lucas bust was 110t identical with the Berlin bust lI'O report 1 proceeds to state that tho museum authorities now emphatically slmro Professor Miotho's opinion. Professor Rathgen, who conducted the Xi.!' T ' examination, declares it was impossible to determine decisively the origin Il ■ "'~ O contends that the mid-Victorian bedquilting extracted from the bust docs not permit absolute conclusions.