Art at Sea

A two-funneled Italian freighter steamed into Gravesend, England, last week and tied up safely at its pier. Flags on other craft dipped a salute, sirens screamed. In London a relieved Lady Chamberlain telegraphed to Premier Mussolini that his ship was safe.

For an anxious eight days the freighter which Mussolini had christened the Leonardo da Vinci, carrying a $70,000,000 cargo of Italian Renaissance Art, had been buffeted by one of Europe's worst storms (see p. 16). Escorted out of Genoa by an ocean-going tug, the Leonardo's captain had been instructed by Mussolini to keep in daily radio touch with the mainland, to hug the shore and in event of storm to put in at the nearest port.

Aboard were Commen-clatore Ettore Modigliani.* as custodian of the pictures, and Signer Umberto Malossi, Fascist Police Inspector-General. Off the coast of Portugal the da Vinci wired that she was caught in a gale, then for two days while she was tossed and harried no word was heard. Captain Angelo Sturlese was on the bridge for 72 hours, the SOS of other ships sounding in his ears. When the Italian steamer Senatore Dali, foundering nearby, sent an SOS, Captain Sturlese despatched his tug to her. Dr. Modigliani in an ecstasy of apprehension made repeated trips to the hold; in case of accident he had the pictures, sculptures and ivories swaddled in pneumatic mattresses to keep them afloat. Once before Dr. Modigliani had seen such works of art endangered.

When the Austrians were reported to have crossed the Italian frontier in the World War, Dr. Modigliani supervised the transportation of all Northern Italian art treasures to inland and southern cities, where for the remainder of the War they safely remained.

Escorted by Admiralty tugs, the Leonardo da Vinci steamed up the Thames to the West India docks in London's grimy Limehouse. At the dock was the reception committee: Sir Austen & Lady Chamberlain, Foreign Secretary Arthur Henderson, President Sir William Llewellyn of Britain's Royal Academy where the pictures will be shown. Lady Chamberlain hastened aboard to find out whether damage had been done. Proudly Captain Sturlese, nine medals glittering on his breast, told her that every crate was intact.

Two years ago Ivy Chamberlain, handsome, Junoesque wife of then Foreign Secretary Sir Austen Chamberlain, had an idea for a great Italian Art exhibition to be held in London. She formed a committee on which were art wise Sir Joseph Duveen, Roger Fry, Viscount Lascelles (Princess Mary's husband), Sir William Llewellyn. They wrote a letter to Premier Mussolini who became interested, put Dr. Modigliani in charge of a committee.

Later Lady Chamberlain went to Rome to discuss plans with the Premier, to get his official consent to remove the pictures. In Germanv she enlisted the aid of then Chancellor Stresemann, in Spain she talked with King Alfonso. Sir Joseph Duveen arranged for U. S. loans.

The big consignment from Italy was the last to arrive in London. From the Limehouse dock four police manned vans carried the crates through guarded streets to Burlington House, Piccadilly, copied after an Italian palace and long the seat of the Royal Academy.

Not until then did customs guards inspect the crates. Some of the most famed Renaissance pictures and sculptures were carried on the da Vinci. Among them were The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of Pope Paul III by Tiziano Vecellio (Titian), Fornarina by Raffaello Sanzio (Raphael), Deposition by Jacopo Robusti (Il Tintoretto*), Annunciation by Fra Filippo Lippi. There were also three stat ues of David by Michelagniolo Buonanroti. Andrea del Verrochio, Donate di Betto Bardi (Donatello). The exhibition starts on New Year's Day.

For Sale:

A square anvil upon which Colonial nightrider and jack-of-all-craft Paul Revere fashioned the silver mugs and dishes for which in Boston he was famed. On Dec. 28 it will go to the highest bidder at auction in the American Art Association --Anderson Galleries, Manhattan.

*Not to be confused with Painter Amedeo Modigliani (TIME, Nov. 11).

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