El Greco’s Saint Sebastian (ca. 1610–14) has been pulled from auction at Christie’s after intervention from the Romanian government, which has claimed the work as being “unequivocally the property of the Romanian state.” The painting was estimated to be worth between $7 million and $9 million, and was expected to be the top lot of a Christie’s Old Masters sale in New York next month.
Romania Insider reported that Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and a team of lawyers blocked the sale. The government is reportedly pursuing its claim through legal proceedings at the Paris Judicial Tribunal, with further action to be expected.
A Christie’s spokesperson told the Art Newspaper, “We received an inquiry about the work. Christie’s takes these matters seriously and out of an abundance of caution is withdrawing the lot at this time We look forward to selling this unique and spectacular work at a later date.”
The sale is reportedly suspended through the end of the month, during which time the painting will remain with Christie’s.
According to a now-deleted online catalogue entry published by Christie’s, Saint Sebastian was acquired in 1898 by King Carol I of Romania, who bequeathed it the following year to Royal Crown of Romanian. In 1947, its ownership was transferred to King Michael of Romania, and the painting remained in the country until 1976, when it entered the holdings of Wildenstein & Co. gallery in New York.
Per the provided provenance, the art advisory group Giraud Pissarro Segalot acquired the El Greco for an anonymous collector in 2010. The group disbanded the following year. Additionally, the collector consigned the painting, which also carries a third-party guarantee. Neither Chrisitie’s nor Romania’s legal team have commented on its whereabouts in the 15 years between 2010 and its planned auction. It is also unclear whether any statute of limitations on the painting have expired.
An official ministerial document republished by the Romanian media states that the government approved a memorandum regarding “the institutional steps” to be taken, including “the initiation of procedures (civil/criminal)” intended to reestablish ownership of the El Greco.
In a statement, Ciolacu praised the blocking of the Christie’s auction as a “great success of the Romanian state.” He also singled out the efforts of the Ministry of Finance, the lawyers representing Romania, and “all those involved in this stage victory that gives us confidence that we will definitely recover, after decades, this painting of inestimable value.”
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