Why should one only receive gifts on one's birthday and not give out any instead? Cologne auction house Lempertz perhaps thought about this and, on the occasion of its 225th anniversary, presented the National Gallery in Berlin with a painting that had long been missing from there.
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The painting in question is Resting Man, created in 1850 by Adolph von Menzel (1815-1905), presumed to be a posthumous representation of Ludwig van Beethoven in a pose reminiscent of the famous Tischbein painting Goethe in the Roman Campagna, except that here the protagonist is seen from behind.
Menzel's Resting Man was acquired the year after its creator's death by the National Gallery, which eventually gave it away on permanent loan to the Museum of Fine Arts in Breslau. It remained there until 1945, when it disappeared – most likely as Russian war booty.
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In the 1950s, a man bought the painting from an art dealer in Helsinki without knowing what it was actually about and kept it in his possession for a long time. Finally, 20 years ago, his son decided to auction the work at Lempertz. At the time, the Menzel archive could not unequivocally confirm the authenticity of the painting, and because of this, Lempertz decided not to auction the painting. Instead, it was acquired by Prof. Henrik Hanstein, the head of the auction house. Eventually, it was possible to identify the work as an original work by Adolph von Menzel.
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But that was not the end of the story for the Resting Man. After almost 80 years, it has finally returned home, because Lempertz has taken its 225th anniversary as an opportunity to give the National Gallery the long-lost painting, whose value is now estimated at €300,000-400,000, as a gift. It is currently being restored in its old / new home and will hopefully soon be on display again.
