also follow the images of Art Objects:

http://artofartinventory.blogspot.com/2010/05/art-of-art-of-inventory.html?spref=tw

'The Beffi Triptych, unlike many other works of art in the National Museum of Abruzzo, has now been repaired after suffering only minimal damage in the earthquake.'

Getty Museum Puts on View Masterpiece Rescued from Abruzzo Earthquake

LOS ANGELES, CA.- David Bomford, acting director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, announced the installation of The Madonna and Child with Scenes from the Life of Christ and the Virgin (The Beffi Triptych) in the Getty Museum’s permanent collection galleries over the summer months. The painting is the first work of art to be transported out of Abruzzo, Italy, in the aftermath of the violent earthquake that struck the region on April 6, 2009. One of the most important works from the National Museum of Abruzzo in the city of L'Aquila, the Triptych is on loan to the Getty from the Italian government and will be on view through September 5th in the Museum’s North Pavilion (Gallery N201), alongside other paintings from Italy that were created around the same time period (early to mid-fifteenth century).

Painted by an unknown artist, The Beffi Triptych is representative of the late Gothic period in Abruzzo and embodies all the qualities of figurative painting from the region during the fifteenth century.

Named for the nearby town of Beffi, where it once adorned the Church of Santa Maria del Ponte, the Triptych depicts scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary, who appears in the central panel, enthroned with the Christ child beneath an elegantly brocaded canopy. It has been suggested that the painter may have been a follower of the Sienese artist Taddeo di Bartolo, as works by the Master of The Beffi Triptych, like those of di Bartolo, are distinctive for their lively narrative detail, highly expressive figures, and brilliant colors. In addition to panel paintings, this anonymous painter also illuminated manuscripts and created frescoes. Experts identify him as the painter who frescoed the vault and walls of the presbytery of the church of San Silvestro in L'Aquila at the beginning of the 15th century.

The Beffi Triptych, unlike many other works of art in the National Museum of Abruzzo, has now been repaired after suffering only minimal damage in the earthquake.

In announcing the loan, Bomford said, “We are grateful to the Italian Ministry of Culture for lending us this important object that we are showcasing alongside our own extraordinary collection of European paintings. In doing so, we are pleased to play a part in helping create awareness for the devastation in the Abruzzo region and the need to preserve the region’s cultural treasures.”

“The Beffi Triptych serves as Italy’s cultural ambassador, explains Italian Minister of Culture Sandro Bondi. “We are loaning the altarpiece to the Getty Museum so we can share this treasure with people outside of Italy and as a testament to our commitment to restore fully the cultural heritage of this region.”

According to Minister Bondi: “The commitment of the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali in this project is to make the recovery of Abruzzo’s cultural heritage possible. We are working to implement the government’s pledge to return to Aquila, the capital of the Abruzzo region, its important cultural wealth of which the greater part – more than 50% - was damaged or completely destroyed during the April 2009 earthquake. My office is committed to finding financial support for the restoration and conservation of these important treasures.”

Mario Resca, director for the management and promotion of Italian Cultural heritage adds: “The Beffi Triptych was a very fortunate ‘survivor’ of the devastation. The National Museum of Aquila is currently in the progress of being rebuilt and when the Museum opens again, the Triptych will once again take its place amongst its permanent collection.”

Nicola Faganello, Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles adds, “We are delighted that the Getty has agreed to put the Triptych on view as part of its international tour. This is a wonderful opportunity for Angelenos, for the Italian community in Los Angeles, and for the many tourists who will visit the Getty Museum to see a masterwork of the ancient cultural heritage of Abruzzo.”

Visit The J. Paul Getty Museum at : www.getty.edu

Earthquake in Abruzzo, Italy

STOLEN BIRD - is it you're object that use to sit on the abook shelf ? ...Possibly not....

Bird is 510 year old. Three dimensional driftwood from West Greenland

"But it could be your own treasured ornament - how would you describe it and identify it if it was damaged in a flood, fire and lost to theft"

Keeping Object Inventory is just as important in a domestic home as it is in museum, art gallery, church etc.

WHY INVENTORY of ART etc ? - Firstly, for easy establishment of your investment valuation and allow better negotiation with ones insurance requirements, Secondly, to monitor and keep ones investment secure. Thirdly, in the case of theft, a stolen object must, have been, adequately documented before it can be returned to its rightful owner. Fourthly, in the case of theft, the information about the object should be able to travel rapidly and circulated among a number of organisations. - so efficient action can take place - the results can be as follows :

FOUND!

AXA Art are delighted to announce the recovery of a Thomas Tompion clock, which was stolen last year from Levens Hall in Cumbria.

"It is with huge thanks to the Cumbrian police that this rare clock was recovered and that it will soon be back in the hands of its owners. It is extremely rare for clocks to be recovered, which makes this recovery even more of a wonderful result."

-Clare Dewey

Claims Manager, AXA Art UK

The clock was stolen from Levens Hall, near Kendal in the early hours of the 19th September 2009. A man from Wakefield has been charged with theft after the clock was recovered by police officers at a Service Station on the M62.

AXA Art takes an active approach in pursuing stolen works of art, antiques and musical instruments. In working closely with the police and specialist art loss adjusters, AXA Art takes every possible measure to help aid the safe recovery of its clients’ prized possessions.

FOUND! AXA ART INSURANCE can announce the safe recovery of a stolen barometer worth tens of thousands of pounds. The 17th century ivory and brass-plated barometer - one of the Fairfax House Museum in York’s most prized possessions - was the victim of acaught-on-camera theft that occurred at the Museum towards the end of May 2009. The recovery was made after a voluntary, confidential tip-off allowed the Police to locate the valuable piece and arrest the thieves. The York Civic Trust-owned property in Castlegate was visited by a man and woman whose removal of the barometer was filmed by the museum’s security cameras. The footage, which showed in detail the thieves unscrew the barometer from the wall in the Georgian townhouse and conceal it under one of their overcoats, was released by police shortly after the theft. As a result of the publicity generated, both locally and nationally, information was provided to the police that enabled them to mount an operation, recover the item and to make an arrest. "We would like to express our thanks to the North Yorkshire police for recovering this item safely and returning it to Fairfax House." says Clare Dewey, Claims Manager at AXA Art UK - the museum’s insurer - "The David Quare barometer is now back where it belongs." Mark Dalrymple, AXA Art’s appointed Loss-Adjuster, said: "It seemed an extremely well-planned theft. I have no doubt that the pair had been to the museum on a number of occasions planning the theft.” The three-foot artefact, which has been reinstalled at the museum, is part of the renowned Noel Terry Collection (of Terry’s Chocolate Orange fame) of English Furniture and Clocks - an important part of the city's history. It is attributed to either Daniel Quare, the English clockmaker, instrument maker and inventor, or to John Patrick, another eminent manufacturer of this style of barometer in the period between 1690 – 1710.

Missing Munch lithograph, taken from the Oslo-based Kaare Berntsen Gallery’s collection this time.The loss of “Separation II” was discovered on 25 of June 2009, and believed to have occurred whilst they were moving premises. Although police have kept quiet about the missing Munch until now, they only confirmed it had been taken after NRK had published the story, having conducted a search in Interpol’s stolen art database. According to Interpol, the actual lithograph is coloured in Berlin-blue on cream-coloured, handmade Japan paper in a unique wooden frame. Approximately 47-48 centimetres high, and just over 66 to 66.5 centimetres wide, the lithograph has the artist’s signature in the lower right hand corner in pencil. Its value is estimated to be 2.5 million kroner, and it’s feared that it will be easier to sell than “History” because it isn’t unique.

http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/new-munch-lithograph-theft/

In sight of volcanic eruptions one is more a aware of the chance act of a natural disasters ..."and how they could affect our art" ...'what do you do once your Rodin bronze is standing ankle-deep in water or your favorite Rosenquist print got scratched? Damage control is a matter of foresight and more often swift, smart action. Putting wet art works on paper into the freezer until professional help arrives, and pre-prepare a list of conservator specialists ............'

http://www.axa-artinsurance.com/about/m_060101.html

Alphonse Kann (14 March 1870 – 1948) was a prominent French art collector of Jewish heritage. He was a childhood playmate and adult friend of the writer Marcel Proust, who incorporated several of Kann's features into the character Charles Swann (in Swann in Love).

The name Kann, written with double "nn", was said in Paris to be "le plus chic du chic". Known for his discerning taste and shrewd collecting instincts, Kann shocked the art world in 1927 by auctioning off most of his Old Master collection (including works by Bruegel, Cimabue, Fragonard, Pollaiuolo, Rubens and Tintoretto) in order to concentrate on the acquisition of 19th century and modern art, which he collected vigorously over the following decade.

Kann left France for England in 1938 without making an inventory of his eclectic art collection, which was kept in a St.-Germain-en-Laye mansion and subsequently looted in October 1940 by Nazi occupiers. Kann recovered only a small fraction of his large collection before his death in England in 1948. Although he did not live to see a copy, the Nazi inventory of Kann's art collection ran to 60 typed pages. Decades after the war, several paintings from Kann's collection were discovered in prominent European and U.S. museums. "Smoke Over Rooftops," a 1911 painting by Fernand Léger, was returned in October 2008 to Kann's heirs by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts after an eleven-year investigation.

In the 1990s, eight antique manuscripts once owned by Kann turned up the vaults of Wildenstein & Company, still bearing the distinctive Nazi catalog numbers ("KA 879" to "KA 886", in red pencil) likely made by Bruno Lohse as he processed the Kann collection in the Jeu de Paume. The discovery of the missing manuscripts prompted a lawsuit by Kann's heirs against Wildenstein & Company.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonse_Kann

Inventory (museum)

An inventory is an itemized list of objects that the museum has accessioned or received via loan(s) and must be physically located by an examiner. A complete, one-hundred percent inventory, or a random inventory of the collection must be carried out periodically to ensure the museum is operating under best practices and for security purposes.^[1] The museum is legally responsible and ethically obligated for the maintenance of up-to-date information detailing the location of all objects within the collection, including loaned items and objects that have yet to be accessioned; this is stipulated by many museum associations, including the American Association of Museums

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