ABOUT THE STOLEN ART

JOHANNES VERMEER - THE CONCERT, 1663-1666

Oil on canvas, 72.5 x 64.7 cm (28 9/16 x 25 1/2 in.)

The Vermeer is generally considered the rarest and most valuable of the lost treasures — at least partly  because so few of his paintings are known to exist. (The current consensus is 37, but some scholars still have doubts about the genuineness of three of them).

Silence is such a central quality of Vermeer’s work that even when he depicts a trio of music-makers, the atmosphere of the painting is one of extreme quietude. Reinforcing this sense of calm, even among music makers, is the painting’s complex geometry. The right and acute angles in the placement of the figures and the furniture, also the rectangular paintings on the wall, along with the refined, muted colors of the clothes  (yellow, gray, brown) and jewelry (pearl earrings and a pearl necklace — also classic Vermeer) exude a hushed  stability. At the same time, the softer curves of heads and bodies and clothes plus the aerodynamic sweep of  the lid of the harpsichord add tension and energy to the static figures. The square marble floor tiles, radically  foreshortened into diamond-shaped lozenges, not only greet but seem to actively pull the viewer’s eye into  the scene.

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

On March 18, 1990 at 1:24AM, two men dressed as police officers walked into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 81 minutes later they walked out with $500 million worth of artwork (today’s value). They forced the night guards into the basement, and duct-taped their hands, eyes, and ankles. The guards were not discovered until the new shift came to relieve them around 8 am. When the police examined the gallery, they noticed that the missing paintings had been cut from the frames, instead of carefully removed. None of the pieces have ever been recovered.

13 pieces were stolen from the museum. The value of the pieces makes this the biggest art theft in the history. The museum is offering $10 million in reward money for information leading to the recovery of the stolen items. Now each piece will live forever inscribed on Bitcoin.

This Lot Includes:

Inscription #818127

• 1 of 1

NO RESERVE

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