In Madrid, an investigating judge ordered the Prado Museum to temporarily preserve a painting attributed to Velázquez representing Philip IV, placed under seal while the courts examine a dispute over its property, which opposes the steel industrialist José María Aristrain de la Cruz and his ex-wife, Gema Navarro.
The work was until then kept in a Madrid palace belonging to the magnate. In March, she was transferred to the Prado reserves by decision of the Ministry of Culture, referred to by the judge. The measure aims to prevent any movement of the board during the procedure. According to El PaísGema Navarro bought the painting in 2015 during a sale organized in Seville by the house Isbilya, for a starting price set at 750,000 euros. She claims that the work was given to her personally by her ex-husband. Gema Navarro filed a complaint for improper appropriation.
Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), Portrait of Philip IV1628, oil on canvas, 198 x 101 cm.
The painting is a full-length portrait of Philip IV, almost life-size, representing the young sovereign dressed in black. It is a replica, with variations, of the painting preserved and exhibited at the Prado, in the same room as Las Meninas (1656-1657). The attribution to Velázquez has long been discussed, in particular because of its state of conservation and old restorations considered clumsy. However, specialists, such as Carmen Garrido, former head of the Prado restoration office, the former director of the museum Alfonso Pérez Sánchez and the art historian Enrique Valdivieso, have defended the attribution to Velázquez or to an autograph replica of the workshop.
The work was first offered at auction in 2007 in Madrid, with a price of 2.5 million euros, without finding a buyer. When it was put back on sale in 2015, the price was lowered to 750,000 euros, given the persistent doubts about its attribution and its state of conservation.
