(Photo:Chatsworth House Trust)
Sometimes things turn up when you least expect them to.
Other workslooted or losthave reemerged over the years and been returned to their rightful owners.
The painting is small and monochromatic, featuring two men’s portraits enshrined in decorative frames.
“A Double Portrait of Sir Peter Paul Rubens and Sir Anthony Van Dyck,” by Eramus Quelliness II, circa 1640s. (Photo:Chatsworth House Trust)
The work was a study from which he planned to engrave.
For decades, no one knew what became of the painting.
In 2021, an art historian noticed the work up for auction in Toulon, France.
Chatsworth House, the magnificent historic seat of the Duke of Devonshire. (Photo: Trevor RickardviaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)
The seller allegedly discovered the work in his deceased parents' home in Eastbourne, England.
It remains unclear how the work came to be there.
The work required extensive restoration to remediate stains and flaking.
However, after negotiations, the painting has at last been returned to Chatsworth House.
The house is managed by the Chatsworth House Trust.
Chatsworth House, the magnificent historic seat of the Duke of Devonshire.
