In January 2019, a 17th-century oil painting by John Michael Wright was damaged at the London home of BBC “art expert” Dr Bendor Grosvenor.
At the time of the incident, the work was already in a damaged state, as a cold winter followed by a hot summer had caused a stretcher displaying the painting to move, leaving two small tears in the canvas.
Grosvenor had just covered the front of the painting with facing paper and brushed on a warm gelatin-and-water solution to preserve it before it could be sent to London to be relined, when his cat Padme lunged at the piece. The cat raked its claws down the center of the canvas, leaving a gaping hole.
While the painting was not completely destroyed, the repair costs are estimated to almost equal the entire purchase fee and Dr Grosvenor admitted the artwork will never return to its pristine condition.
Grosvenor later added that Padme is “not a fan of John Michael Wright, and regrets nothing.”
When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.
- Henri...
