| Admin/Biog History | In 1980 Colin Simpson (1931-2017) of the Sunday Times began to investigate George de la Tour's picture The Fortune Teller, which had been acquired by the Metropolitan Museum, New York, from Wildenstein in the1960s. Christopher Wright, the British art historian, believed the picture to have been forged by Emile Delobre (1873-1956) when he worked for a restorer at Wildenstein's in the 1920s. Sewell supported the view that the attribution of the picture was uncertain as he had seen it, or an identical picture, in 1958 and had believed that it did not fit with what was known of de la Tour's chronology and stylistic development. This view brought him into conflict with several art historians, including Anthony Blunt and Michael Kitson as they believed the painting to be a genuine de La Tour.
The controversy surrounding the possibility of the picture being a forgery continued for several years and attracted attention in the press, with articles being published in The Burlington Magazine, The Times, and Private Eye. |
| Description | Includes:
-three letters between Sewell, Denys Sutton, Editor of Apollo, and Katherine Baetjer, dated 23-28 October 1980, concerning the investigation into The Fortune Teller
-four letters between Sewell and Neil MacGregor, Editor of The Burlington Magazine, dated 8-13 July 1981, concerning a letter Sewell submitted to the magazine in response to John Brearley's letter to The Editor, published in July 1981, about a technical analysis of the picture
-four letters between Sewell, Michael Kitson, Courtauld Institute of Art, and Edwin Mullins, dated 21 June-1 July 1982, concerning their differences of opinion regarding the picture
-letter to The Editor, The Times, dated 20 January 1982, concerning Christopher Wright's views about the picture
-letter to Magnus Linklater, Sunday Times, dated 11 July 1983, thanking him for his support and understanding
-letter to Private Eye, dated 25 September 1984, complaining about their article Merde most foul, which was published in the magazine on 21 September 1984
-one photograph of the picture and four photographs showing details
-A4 diary containing Sewell's notes
Also includes the following draft articles written by Sewell:
-Christopher Wright: The Art of the Forger, written for Interiors
-More Wildenstein Villainies, written for Private Eye
-The Fortune Teller |
| Image Caption | Letter sent to The Editor of The Times, concerning The Fortune Teller, dated 20 January 1982 |