Lost artworks

For lost literary works, see Lost work. For films, see List of lost films.

Lost artworks are original pieces of art that credible sources indicate once existed but that cannot be accounted for in museums or private collections or are known to have been destroyed deliberately or accidentally, or neglected through ignorance and lack of connoisseurship.

The US FBI maintains a list of "Top Ten Art Crimes";[1] a 2006 book by Simon Houpt[2] and several other media outlets have profiled the most significant outstanding losses.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference Houpt2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Chronology of notable loss events

  • Jin–Song Wars, 1125–1234
  • Fourth Crusade, 1202–1204
  • Treasures for Tractors, 1920s

Research and recovery efforts

The Art Loss Register is a computerized international database which captures information about lost and stolen art, antiques and collectables. It is operated by a commercial company based in London.

In the U.S., the FBI maintains the Stolen Art File, "a database of stolen art and cultural property. Stolen objects are submitted for entry to the NSAF by law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad."[8]

A number of search and recovery efforts were created in response to major loss events, notably:

List of notable lost artworks

See also List of famous stolen paintings

Pre-16th century

List of notable lost artworks
Status Creation date(s) (est.) Known as Creator Commission/provenance note Loss event Year lost (est.) Surviving copies and documentation
Destroyed -475-25 BCE Sack of Troy Polygnotus In the Lesche of Knidos at Delphi Pausanias in Description of Greece, Chapter X
Destroyed -00475-25 BCE Odysseus in the Underworld Polygnotus In the Lesche of Knidos at Delphi Pausanias in Description of Greece, Chapter X
Destroyed -00450-40 BCE Lemnian Athena, a bronze Phidias Housed in the Parthenon
Missing -00447- BCE Athena Parthenos Phidias Originally housed in the Parthenon 900-99
Destroyed -00435 BCE Statue of Zeus at Olympia Phidias Probably Lauseion fire 425-472
Presumed destroyed 450-400 BCE Female Centaur Nursing a Pair of Twins Zeuxis Part of the loot of the Roman General Sulla from the First Mithridatic War Shipwreck off Malea (see Antikythera wreck) 86 BCE
Destroyed -0399-00 BCE Aphrodite of Knidos, a marble sculpture Praxiteles
Destroyed -0399-00 BCE Seated Hercules, a colossal bronze Lysippus For the acropolis of Tarentum in southern Italy, was taken to Rome by Fabius Maximus, 209 BCE, and installed on the Capitoline Hill; later taken to Constantinople to decorate the Hippodrome Fourth Crusade, melted down by invaders 1204
Missing -0399-00 BCE Eros Stringing the Bow bronze Lysippus Various copies exist
Missing -0399-00 BCE Agias bronze Lysippus Marble copy found and preserved in Delphi
Missing -0340-30 BCE Oil Pourer bronze Lysippus, circle of Roman marble copies
Missing -0340-30 BCE Hercules bronze Lysippus Marble copy by Glykon
Missing -0330 BCE Apoxyomenos bronze Lysippus Roman general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa installed Lysippos's masterpiece in the Baths of Agrippa that he erected in Rome, around 20 BCE Description in Pliny the Elder's Natural History, multiple marble copies
Missing -0356-23 BCE Alexander the Great bronzes Lysippus
Destroyed -292-80 BCE Colossus of Rhodes Chares of Lindos Rhodes earthquake 226 BCE
Missing 60-84 Hodegetria Saint Luke 1261-
Destroyed 193-526 Regisole Erected at Ravenna, moved to Pavia in the Middle Ages, it stood before the cathedral Jacobin Club in Pavia vandalism (destroyed as a symbol of monarchy) 1796
Missing 400-525 Image of Edessa (Mandylion) Sack of Constantinople
French Revolution 		1204
1789–99
Destroyed 425 Portraits of western and eastern imperial family members mosaic commissioned by Galla Placidia in the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista, Ravenna 1747
Destroyed 425 Portrait of the bishop of Ravenna mosaic commissioned by Galla Placidia in the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista, Ravenna 1747
Destroyed 500-99 Buddhas of Bamyan Taliban iconoclasm (purported) 2001
Presumed Destroyed 500-99 Camuliana Byzantine Iconoclasm 727-842
Destroyed 600 Icon of Christ Chalkites Iconoclasm of Leo III 726-30
Destroyed 1070–79 Bayeux Tapestry, final portion Deliberately removed at some point
Destroyed 1277–85 The facade mosaics and the fresco cycles, with stories from the New and Old Testament Cavallini, Pietro In the Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura in Rome[9] Fire 1823
Destroyed 1305–13 Navicella mosaic Giotto Outside Old Saint Peter's Basilica Moved and extensively reworked in the 17th century 1600–1675
Missing 1308 Coronation of the Virgin panel of the Maestà altarpiece Duccio Dismantled 1711
Missing 1308 Virgin of the Assumption panel of the Maestà altarpiece Duccio Dismantled 1711
Missing 1308 Ascension of Christ panel of the Maestà altarpiece Duccio Dismantled 1711
Missing 1308 Christ in Majesty panel of the Maestà altarpiece Duccio Dismantled 1711
Missing 1328–37 Commune of Florence allegorical fresco Giotto painted for the Palazzo del Podestà, now the Bargello, Florence Described by Giorgio Vasari as a seated judge with sceptre, flanked by figures of Fortitude, Prudence, Justice and Temperance
Missing 1314–28 Stories of the Apostles frescoes Giotto For the Giugni Chapel of the Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence
Missing 1297–1337 Painting of the Virgin Giotto Bequeathed by the poet Petrarch to Francesca da Carrara, lord of Padua, in 1370
Destroyed 1317–48 Saint Margaret of Cortona bringing Suppolino back to Life fresco Lorenzetti, Ambrogio In the Church of Santa Margherita, Cortona Destroyed ~1650
Missing 1327–44 Laura (Laura de Noves) Martini, Simone Portrait is the subject of Sonnets 77 and 78, Rime sparse (1372) by Petrarch
Destroyed 1390–1425 Virgin Enthroned with Saints and Angels (1402) Monaco, Lorenzo Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Missing 1410 Joshua terra cotta Donatello North tribune of the Duomo of Florence Disappeared in the 18th century 1700–1799
Missing 1428 Abundance (Dovizia) in stone Donatello On a column placed first in the Baptistery of the Duomo, later in the Mercato Vecchio, Florence Replaced in the 18th century, now lost[10] 1700–1799 Copies in terra cotta from the workshop of Giovanni della Robbia exist
Destroyed 1424 Hunting scenes frescoes Pisanello Castle of Pavia Destroyed by French soldiers 1527
Destroyed frescoes of Saint Eustace, Saint George Sheathing his Sword Pisanello Chapel of the Pellegrini family, S. Anastasia, Verona[11] Internal damage to the church by 1826
Destroyed 1427–28 Frescoes da Fabriano, Gentile
Pisanello 		In the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome Destroyed during reconstruction 1647
Destroyed 1425–30 Mosaic of Saint Peter Blessing Paolo Uccello On the façade of the Basilica of San Marco, Venice Replaced with mosaics by Gaetano 1617–18
Destroyed 1432 Illustrious Men fresco cycle da Panicale, Masolino
Uccello 		For the Palace of Cardinal Orsini in Rome A watercolor copy by Leonardo da Besozzo survives
Destroyed 1425 Sagra del Carmine monochrome fresco Masaccio For the cloister of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence Destroyed 1600
Destroyed 1425–69 Confirmation of the Rules of the Carmelites fresco Lippi, Filippo In the cloister of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence Fire[12] 1771 A fragment uncovered in 1860 survives in place
Missing 1423 Painted Crucifix Fra Angelico for the Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence
Destroyed 1456 Last Judgment Fra Angelico, school of Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed 1440–57 Flagellation fresco del Castagno, Andrea In the cloister of the Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence Destroyed in the 17th century 1600–1699
Destroyed 1450–52 Life of the Virgin frescoes Veneziano, Domenico
del Castagno, Andrea 		In the church of Sant' Egidio (Santa Maria Nuova), Florence Destroyed 1594
Destroyed 1449–56 Life of Santa Rosa fresco cycle Gozzoli, Benozzo For the church of Santa Rosa, Viterbo 1632 renovations to the church [13] 1632 Autograph and other drawings and a contemporary description survive
Destroyed 1450–76 Scenes from the life of Saint Nicholas altarpiece da Messina, Antonello For the Confraternity of San Nicolò della Montagna in Messina, seen by Cavalcaselle in 1871 [14] Destroyed in the Messina earthquake 1908
Destroyed 1496 Virgin and Child in Glory with Saints John the Evangelist, Francis, Jerome and John the Baptist Ghirlandaio, Domenico In the Church of San Francesco in San Casciano, Val di Pesa until 1810. Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed 1470–92 Several original paintings on "pagan" subjects Botticelli Bonfire of the Vanities
Destroyed 1478 Piero di Cosimo de' Medici Botticelli Formerly Museo Civico Gaetano Filangieri, Naples Destroyed in World War II 1939–45 Photographs survive
Destroyed 1478- Frescoes depicting the criminal conspirators of the Pazzi Conspiracy against the Medici Botticelli Painted either in the Bargello or the Dogana in Florence Removed at the instigation of Pope Alexander VI after the fall of the Medici 1494
Destroyed 1487–90 Frescoes on mythological themes, including the Forge of Vulcan Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Filippino Lippi and Perugino For Lorenzo de' Medici in the great hall and external loggia of his villa at Spedaletto, near Volterra Damaged by damp and finally destroyed by fire in the early 19th century [15] 1800–1850
Destroyed 1456–1515 Fresco of the Triumph of Trajan Vincenzo Foppa Done for the Medici bank in the Via de' Bossi, Milan [16] The Medici bank palazzo demolished 1863 A fragment survives in the Wallace Collection, London
Destroyed 1485 Altarpiece for the church of Santa Maria dei Battuti in Belluno Alvise Vivarini Destroyed by fire in Berlin during World War II 1939–45
Destroyed 1488 Frescoes, including a Baptism of Christ for the Belvedere Chapel of the Vatican Andrea Mantegna Destroyed under Pope Pius VI to permit construction of the Pio-Clementino Museum 1780
Destroyed 1450–57 Frescoes of the Lives of Saint James and Saint Christopher Andrea Mantegna for the Ovetari Chapel of the Church of the Eremitani, Padua Destroyed in the Allied bombing of Padua, March 11 1944 Frescoes of the Assumption and Body of Saint Christopher detached in 1880 survive, as do photographs
Destroyed 1457–60 Lamentation of the People over the Dead Gattamelata Andrea Mantegna A fresco in the Palazzo Gattamelata, Padua Fire on November 5 1760 A related drawing is in The Wallace Collection, London
Destroyed 1470–1515 Saint Catherine of Siena Altarpiece (Sacra Conversazione) Giovanni Bellini In the Chapel of the Rosary of the Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice Fire 1867
Destroyed 1494 The Supper at Emmaus Giovanni Bellini Painted for Giorgio Cornaro of Venice Fire in Vienna in the 18th century 1700–1799
Destroyed 1478–80 Ascension with Christ in Glory fresco Melozzo da Forlì For the choir of the Church of the Santi Apostoli, Rome Renovation to enlarge the choir 1711 Fragments survive in the Vatican and Quirinal
Destroyed 1483 Destruction of Troy fresco Lorenzo Costa For the loggia of the Bentivoglio Palace, Bologna Destroyed with the palace by a mob[17] 1507 Fragment survives in the Pinacoteca Nazionale
Destroyed 1472–74 The Court of Pan (The School of Pan) Luca Signorelli Painted c. 1490 at the request of Lorenzo de' Medici [18] Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed 1474 Madonna and Saints fresco Luca Signorelli In the Tower of Città di Castello Earthquake 1789
Presumed destroyed 1508-09 The Calumny of Apelles fresco Luca Signorelli Audience chamber of the Palazzo del Magnifico Dispersion, missing by 1840 1512–1840
Presumed destroyed 1508-09 The Feast of Pan fresco Luca Signorelli Audience chamber of the Palazzo del Magnifico Dispersion, missing by 1840 1512–1840
Destroyed 1466–80 Adoration of the Magi fresco Perugino For the convent of S. Giusto alle Mura [19] Preparing the city for the Siege of Florence 1529
Missing 1420–30 Woman Bathing Van Eyck Lost Depicted in the 17th-century gallery of Cornelis van der Geest painted by Willem van Haecht
Missing 1430–32 The Just Judges Ghent Altarpiece panel Van Eyck Stolen 1934
Destroyed 1441 Madonna and Child with a Donor (van Eyck) triptych Van Eyck painted for Nicholas van Maelbeke, provost of St. Martin's Cathedral, Ypres Removed from the cathedral and lost during the French occupation of The Netherlands, 1792–1815 1792–1815 A 1629 copy was acquired by the Bruges museum in 2007
Destroyed 1444 Crucifixion Petrus Christus (attributed) Formerly Dessau Museum Destroyed by bombing in World War II 1939–45
Destroyed 1439- The Justice of Trajan and the Justice of Herkenbald Rogier van der Weyden Painted for the 'Gulden Camere' (Golden Chamber) of the Brussels Town Hall Bombardment of Brussels 1695 Tapestries executed c. 1450 copying the artist's original designs survive [20]
Destroyed 1509–28 Descent from the Cross altarpiece Jan Gossaert Church of Middelburg Lightning strike, fire 1568
Presumed Destroyed 1475 Great History of Troy tapestries Painted Chamber of the Palace of Westminster Removed 1820 and sold for ten pounds sterling to a London merchant 1820 An 18th-century watercolor of one tapestry by John Carter is preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum
Destroyed 1456 Frescoes Piero della Francesca Vatican Palace, destroyed (or covered) by Raphael before painting the Stanze
Destroyed 1482- Leonardo's horse terracotta model Leonardo da Vinci French invasion of Milan 1499
Missing 1490 Eve Tullio Lombardo Carved for the tomb of Doge Andrea Vendramin in the church of Santa Maria dei Servi, Venice. Together with its companion statue Adam, now in the Metropolitan Museum Disappeared from public view around 1819 when the Vendramin monument was moved to the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice 1819

16th century

List of notable lost artworks
Status Creation date(s) (est.) Known as Creator Commission/provenance note Loss event Year lost (est.) Surviving copies and documentation
Missing 1511-20 The Trial of Saint Stephen Vittore Carpaccio One of a series of five canvases for the Scuola di San Stefano, Venice Untraced after 1806 1806 A drawing for the modello survives in the Uffizi
Destroyed Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints Faustinus and Jovita, patron saints of Brescia (the Averoldi Altarpiece) Carpaccio Formerly sacristy of S. Giovanni Evangelista, Brescia Sold to the National Gallery London, lost in a shipwreck crossing the English Channel
Destroyed The Birth of Paris (Finding of the Infant Paris?) Giorgione In the collections of Taddeo Contarini, Venice and the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, Brussels Known through a copy by David Teniers the Younger, now in the Musées Royaux de Beaux-Arts, Brussels. Engraved by Theodoor van Kessel, 1660. A fragment of two shepherds survives.
Destroyed c. 1507-08 Assumption of the Virgin Fra Bartolomeo Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Missing before 1500 Medusa (unfinished) Leonardo da Vinci In the collection of Cosimo I of Tuscany, 1553 Lost since the end of the 16th century 1550–99
Missing 1508 Leda and the Swan Leonardo da Vinci Disappeared from the French royal palace of Fontainebleau after 1623 After 1623 A copy by Cesare da Sesto is at Wilton House,Salisbury
Missing The Battle of Anghiari Leonardo da Vinci Palazzo Vecchio
Portrait of a Lady by Caravaggio, formerly in the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, Berlin
Destroyed Cartoon of the battle of Cascina, Palazzo Vecchio Michelangelo Putatively destroyed by Bandinelli
Missing circa 1530 A painting of Leda and the Swan Michelangelo Given by the artist to his friend Antonio Mini who took it to France Disappeared in France A print engraved by Cornelis Vos, 1537, records the design
Destroyed A marble Cupid Michelangelo Later owned by Isabella d'Este and Charles I of England Fire at Whitehall Palace, London 1698
Presumed Destroyed Portrait of a Lady Caravaggio Formerly in the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, Berlin Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Missing c. 1492–94 A marble Hercules Michelangelo Michelangelo's first free-standing statue; installed in the Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, 1506, sent to France in the 16th century Disappeared from the French royal palace of Fontainebleau in the 18th century 1700–99
Missing A bronze statue of David resting his foot on the severed head of Goliath Michelangelo Commissioned in 1502 and sent to France in 1508 Disappeared from the Chateau de Villeroy during the French Revolution 1794–95
A lost self-portrait, by Raphael
Destroyed A bronze statue of pope Julius II in the act of blessing Michelangelo On San Petronio basilica's facade in Bologna Destroyed by the people of Bologna 1511
Destroyed Altarpiece of the Madonna and Child with St. Mary Magdalen and St. Lucy (Madonna of Albinea) Antonio da Correggio
Destroyed Fresco of The Coronation of the Virgin for the church of San Giovanni Evangelista, Parma Correggio Destroyed 1587 Fragments in National Gallery, London, other museums
Destroyed Fresco of Saint Mary Magdalen in the Desert Correggio Painted for Veronica Gambara's Palazzo della Delizie, in the town of Correggio Destruction of Palazzo della Delizie c. 1555 Described in a letter dated Sept. 3, 1528 from Veronica Gambara to Isabella d’Este [21]
Missing 1513–14 Portrait of a Young Man (Raphael) Raphael Nazi plunder 1939
Destroyed Baronci altarpiece (the Crowning of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino) Raphael Raphael's first recorded commission, it was made for Andrea Baronci's chapel in the church of Sant'Agostino in Citta di Castello, near Urbino Earthquake 1700–99 At least four fragments survive (Louvre, Capodimonte)
Missing Saint Catherine of Alexandria Raphael Formerly owned by Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel Presumed lost Depicted in an engraving by Wenceslas Hollar
Missing 1520 Portrait of Albrecht Durer in Black Hat and Cloak Tomasso Vincidor Painted from life in Antwerp Presumed lost Depicted in the 17th-century gallery of Cornelis van der Geest painted by Willem van Haecht
Missing 1537–39 Frescoes for the Massimi Chapel at Santa Trinità dei Monti, Rome, representing Christ at the Pool of Bethesda, Christ and the Centurion, the Transfiguration, the Expulsion from the Temple and (possibly) the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Pierino del Vaga Detached during Napoleonic times and lost by 1840 Before 1840 A companion fresco, The Raising of Lazarus, now transferred to canvas, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum
Missing The Wedding of Neptune and Amphitrite silver bowl Cellini Taken from the Chapter of the Basilica of Santa Barbara, Modena, by the French 1796
Destroyed Ascension of Mary altarpiece (The ‘Heller altar’) Dürer The central panel added to the collection of Elector Maximilian of Bavaria Fire 1729 A 1615 copy of the entire altarpiece by Jobst Harrich of Nuremberg survives
Destroyed c. 1529 Portrait of an Architect (Self-Portrait?) Wolf Huber Fire at the Musée de Beaux Arts, Strasbourg, August 13, 1947 (one of 30 paintings destroyed) 1947
Destroyed Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg, Archbishop of Mainz Cranach the Elder Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed Virgin and Child with Four Female Saints Cranach the Elder Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed Madonna and Child with Infant Saint John Cranach the Elder Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed Duke Henry of Saxony Cranach the Elder Bombing of Dresden, February 1945 1945
Missing Market Day Pieter Brueghel the Elder Depicted in the 17th-century gallery of Cornelis van der Geest painted by Willem van Haecht
Destroyed The Farmers Brawl Pieter Brueghel the Elder Bombing of Dresden, February 1945 Engraved by Lucas Vosterman, c. 1620
Destroyed Whitehall Mural of Henry VIII and family in Whitehall Palace, London Hans Holbein the Younger Fire 1698
Destroyed The Family of Sir Thomas More Holbein Fire at Kremsier Castle, the Moravian residence of Carl von Liechtenstein, archbishop of Olmutz [22] 1752
Missing The Goldsmith Hans von Zurich Holbein Owned successively by Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel and Everhard Jabach and heirs Presumed lost Copied by Lucas Vosterman and engraved by Wenceslas Hollar
Missing 1543 Portrait of Johann von Schwarzwaldt Holbein Poland Looted in Word War II 1939–45 Photograph survives
Destroyed Battle of Spoleto Titian Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Battle of Cadore Titian Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Doge Gritti Praying to the Virgin Titian Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Coronation of Frederick Barbarossa Tintoretto Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Excommunication of Barbarossa Tintoretto Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Last Judgment Tintoretto Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Homage of Frederick Barbarossa Paolo Veronese Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Works Gentile da Fabriano Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Works Pisanello Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Pope Alexander III in the Church of St. Marks Carpaccio Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Meeting of the Pope and the Doge at Ancona Carpaccio Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Otho Promising to Mediate Between Venice and Barbarossa Alvise Vivarini Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Paradise Guariento Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Battle of Salvore Gentile Bellini Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Presentation of the White Candle to the Pope Gentile Bellini Doge's Palace fire 1577
Destroyed Presentation of the Eight Standards and Trumpets to the Doge Giovanni Bellini Doge's Palace fire 1577
Missing Portrait of Isabella d'Este in Red Titian A copy by Rubens is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Destroyed Death of St Peter Martyr for the Chapel of the Rosary, Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice Titian Fire 1867 Copies and engravings survive
Destroyed Double Portrait of Emperor Charles V and his wife Isabella of Portugal Titian Royal Alcázar of Madrid fire 1734 A copy by Rubens survives
Destroyed 1561 Penitent Magdalene Titian Painted for Philip II of Spain Fire at Bath House, London, January 21 1873
Destroyed Ixion and Tantalus Titian Royal Alcázar of Madrid fire 1734
Destroyed Paintings of The Twelve Caesars Titian Royal Alcázar of Madrid fire 1734
Missing Venus in Front of her Mirror Titian Lost from the Spanish royal collection in the 19th century 1800–99 A copy by Rubens survives
Missing 1551 Frescoes for the first floor loggia of the Villa Soranzo at Treville (near Castelfranco Veneto) Veronese and by Giambattista Zelotti Designed by Michele Sanmicheli Fresco fragments were removed from the villa and dispersed when it was destroyed between 1817–19 1819
Destroyed c. 1580 Apollo and Juno Veronese Painted for the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, Venice Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed c. 1580 Saturn Helps Religion to Overcome Heresy Veronese Painted for the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, Venice Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed Fresco of God the Father and the Four Evangelists Pontormo In the Capponi Chapel, Church of Santa Felicita, Florence Remodeling in the 18th century 1700–99
Destroyed Unfinished fresco of the Last Judgment at the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence Pontormo Renovations in the 18th century 1700–99
Destroyed 1597-99 Portrait of a Courtesan, aka Fillide Melandroni Caravaggio Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945

17th century

List of notable lost artworks
Status Creation date(s) (est.) Known as Creator Commission/provenance note Loss event Year lost (est.) Surviving copies and documentation
Missing A Christus head Annibale Carracci
A lost Christus head by Annibale Carracci
Destroyed 1602 The Armada Tapestries Vroom, Hendrick For Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham; sold to James I, 1616 and placed in the House of Lords, London by Oliver Cromwell, 1650 Burning of Parliament[23] 1834 Engraved by John Pine, 1739 [24]
Destroyed Equestrian bronze statue of Henry IV of France Giovanni da Bologna Presented to Marie de Medicis by Cosimo II of Tuscany in 1614 Melted for cannon during the French Revolution 1789–99
Missing Time Saving Truth from Envy and Discord Nicolas Poussin Untraced since 1840 1840
Destroyed 1630 The Martyrdom of Erasmus Nicolas Poussin Bombing of Dresden, February 1945 1945
Destroyed 1637–40 Penance, one of the seven Sacraments Nicolas Poussin Belvoir Castle fire 1816
Destroyed 1658 Queen Esther Approaching the Palace of Ahasuerus Claude Lorrain Fonthill Abbey fire [25] 1755 A fragment in the collection of the Earl of Leicester, Holkham Hall
Destroyed 1660–73 Apollo Guarding the Herds of Admetus and Mercury Stealing Them Claude Lorrain Holker Hall fire[3] 1871
Missing 1666–73 Aeneas and the Sibyl of Cumae Claude Lorrain One of four works commissioned by Prince Falconieri Liber Veritatis 183
Lost at sea 1601–02 The Crucifixion Peter Paul Rubens Painted for the Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome Imported to England 1811; there auctioned 1812, 1820; lost at sea after last date after 1820[26]
Missing 1609Judith Beheading Holofernes Rubens Known only though the 1610 engraving by Cornelis Galle the Elder
Destroyed Madonna of the Rosary Rubens Painted for the Royal Chapel of the Dominican Church, Brussels Bombardment of Brussels 1695
Destroyed 1610 Virgin Adorned with Flowers by Saint Anne Rubens Painted for the Church of the Carmelite Friars, Brussels Bombardment of Brussels 1695
Destroyed 1613 Saint Job Triptych Rubens Painted for Saint Nicholas Church, Brussels Bombardment of Brussels 1695
Destroyed Cambyses Appointing Otanes Judge Rubens Decoration for the Magistrates' Hall, Brussels Bombardment of Brussels 1695
Destroyed Judgment of Solomon Rubens Decoration for the Magistrates' Hall, Brussels Bombardment of Brussels 1695
Destroyed Last Judgment Rubens Decoration for the Magistrates' Hall, Brussels Bombardment of Brussels 1695
Destroyed 1615Neptune and Amphitrite Rubens Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed Nativity Rubens Coudenberg Palace fire 1731
Destroyed Adoration of the Magi Rubens Coudenberg Palace fire 1731
Destroyed Pentecost Rubens Coudenberg Palace fire 1731
Missing 1617–18Susannah and the Elders Rubens Engraved 1620 by Lucas Vosterman
Missing 1618Satyr, Nymph, Putti and Leopards Rubens Now known only from engraving
Destroyed The Abduction of Proserpine Rubens Fire at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, February 5, 1861[27] 1861 Engraved before 1621 by Pieter Soutman
Destroyed 1622Crucifixion with Mary, St. John, Magdalen Rubens English Civil War: English Parliamentarians in the Queen's Chapel, Somerset House, London, 1643 [28] 1643
Destroyed 1628Portrait of Philip IV of Spain Rubens Incendiary attack at the Kunsthaus, Zurich, in 1985[29] 1985
Destroyed 1635–38Diana and Nymphs Surprised by Satyrs Rubens Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Missing Equestrian Portrait of the Archduke Albert Rubens
Destroyed Equestrian Portrait of Philip IV of Spain Rubens Royal Alcázar of Madrid fire 1734 A copy is in the Uffizi Gallery
Destroyed The Continence of Scipio Rubens Fire in the Western Exchange, Old Bond Street, London, March 1836[30] 1836
Destroyed The Lion Hunt Rubens Removed by Napoleon's agents from Schloss Schleissheim, near Munich, 1800 Fire at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux[31] 1870
Destroyed Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Buckingham Rubens Later owned by the Earl of Jersey at Osterley Park Fire [32] 1949
Grisaille sketch of Magistrates of Brussels, in the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris
Destroyed Series of 39 ceiling paintings for the Jesuit Church in Antwerp (nl:Carolus Borromeuskerk#Branden, Dutch wiki) Van Dyck (largely executed by), Rubens (designed by) Fire 1718 Engravings by Jan Punt (Amsterdam 1751) of 31 of the paintings from drawings executed 1711-12 by Jacob de Wit exist [33]
Destroyed Vision of Saint Hubert Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed Allegories of Sight and Smell Jan Brueghel the Elder and other artists Bought (with the following entry) by the City of Antwerp and hung in audience hall, Tervuren Castle 1619 [34] Coudenberg Palace fire 1731
Destroyed Allegories of Hearing, Taste and Touch Jan Brueghel the Elder and other artists Coudenberg Palace fire 1731
Missing 1641 Portrait of Jules Mazarin before his appointment as Cardinal Van Dyck The French rebellion of the Frond. Sold at an auction by the Tribunal of Paris between the 28th of December 1651 and February 1652 1651/2
Destroyed 1634-5 Group Portrait of the Town Council of Brussels Van Dyck Bombardment of Brussels 1695
Destroyed Christ Crowned with Thorns Van Dyck Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed Lamentation over Christ Van Dyck Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed Nymphs Surprised by Satyrs Van Dyck Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist Van Dyck Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed Adoration of the Shepherds (Birth of Christ) Gerrit van Honthorst Uffizi car bombing 1993
Destroyed 1627 Six Gold and Silver Smiths (The "Bankers of Amsterdam") Thomas de Keyser Fire at the Musée de Beaux Arts, Strasbourg, August 13, 1947 [35] (one of 30 paintings destroyed) 1947
Missing 1646 The Circumcision Rembrandt Executed for the Stadtholder Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange Went missing in the 18th century 1700–99 A presumed copy is in the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, Braunschweig, Germany
Destroyed Bentheim Castle with Christ and Disciples on the Road to Emmaus Jacob van Ruisdael Museum Boymans fire 1864
Destroyed The Windmill Jacob van Ruisdael Holker Hall fire [36] 1871
Destroyed Large family portrait Carel Fabritius Museum Boymans fire 1864
Destroyed Sleeping Man Aelbert Cuyp Museum Boymans fire 1864
Destroyed Tobias Healing His Father Jan Steen Museum Boymans fire[37] 1864
Destroyed White Ox in a Field Paulus Potter Museum Boymans fire 1864
Destroyed Large Herd of Oxen Paulus Potter Purchased for Fl. 9050, Braamcamp sale, Amsterdam, 1771 by agents of Catherine the Great. ''Vrouw Maria'' sinking [38] 1771
Missing A Gentleman washing his hands in a see-through room (half-door) with sculptures, artful and rare Vermeer Listed in the catalogue of the Dissius auction, Holland, 1696
Destroyed 1601 The Inspiration of Matthew first version Caravaggio Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed 1605Christ on the Mount of Olives Caravaggio From the collection of Vincenzo Giustiniani Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Missing A portrait of Alof de Wignacourt Caravaggio
Destroyed Saint John Caravaggio Done for the Fenaroli chapel, Sant’Anna dei Lombardi, Naples Earthquake 1798
Destroyed Saint Francis Caravaggio Done for the Fenaroli chapel, Sant’Anna dei Lombardi, Naples Earthquake 1798
Destroyed Resurrection Caravaggio Done for the Fenaroli chapel, Sant’Anna dei Lombardi, Naples Earthquake 1798 A 1763 description by Charles-Nicolas Cochin[39] survives.
Missing Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence Caravaggio For the Oratorio of San Lorenzo, Palermo Stolen 1969
Destroyed The Conversion of Saint Paul altarpiece Orazio Gentileschi Done for the basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura, Rome Fire 1823
Destroyed The Stoning of Saint Stephen altarpiece Lavinia Fontana Done for the basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura, Rome Fire 1823
Destroyed 1628 Hercules and Omphale Artemisia Gentileschi Painted for Philip IV of Spain Royal Alcázar of Madrid fire 1734
Destroyed 1650–52 Bathsheba Artemisia Gentileschi Fire at Gosford House, Scotland [40] 1940
Destroyed La Buonavventura Bartolomeo Manfredi Uffizi car bombing 1993
Destroyed Ciclo Vito Bartolomeo Manfredi Uffizi car bombing 1993
Destroyed Danae Annibale Carracci Formerly Ellesmere collection, Bridgewater House, Westminster, London World War II, May 11, 1941 1941
Destroyed 1600 Saint Gregory Praying for Souls in Purgatory, altarpiece Annibale Caracci For the church of San Gregorio Magno, Rome; formerly Ellesmere collection, Bridgewater House, Westminster, London World War II, May 11, 1941 1941
Destroyed Descent from the Cross Ludovico Carracci Formerly Ellesmere collection, Bridgewater House, Westminster, London World War II, May 11, 1941 1941
Destroyed Bacchus and Ariadne Guido Reni Commissioned for Queen Henrietta Maria's house at Greenwich, 1637 Destroyed in France in the 17th century by the widow of Michel Particelli d'Hemery, who was scandalized by the female nudes it contained[41] 1700–99 A fragment with the head of Ariadne survives
Destroyed Immaculate Conception Guido Reni Formerly Seville Cathedral, Spain, later in the Ellesmere collection, Bridgewater House, Westminster, London World War II, May 11, 1941 1941
Destroyed Bust of Charles I in marble Bernini Whitehall Palace fire, London 1698
Destroyed Crucified Christ in bronze Bernini Formerly in the French royal collection French Revolution 1789–99
Destroyed 1627 Expulsion of the Moors with Philip III Velasquez Royal Alcázar of Madrid fire 1734
Destroyed Venus and Adonis Velasquez Royal Alcázar of Madrid fire 1734
Destroyed Cupid and Psyche Velasquez Royal Alcázar of Madrid fire 1734
Destroyed Apollo and Marsyas Velasquez Royal Alcázar of Madrid fire 1734
Missing Francesco de Ochoa Velasquez One of two portraits of royal jesters for the Buen Retiro Palace, Madrid
Missing Cardenas the Toreador Velasquez One of two portraits of royal jesters for the Buen Retiro Palace, Madrid
Missing Pelican with Bucket and Donkeys Velasquez For the Palace of Buen Retiro, Madrid
Destroyed Saint Bonaventure Reveals the Crucifix to Saint Thomas Aquinas Zurbarán Commissioned by the Colegio de San Buenaventura, Seville. Taken from Spain by Marshal Soult Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed Caritas Romana (Roman Charity) Murillo Taken from Spain by Joseph Bonaparte and sold to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art Fire 1845
Destroyed 1692–1702 Frescoes of The Labors of Hercules Luca Giordano For the Buen Retiro Palace of Charles II of Spain, Madrid Destroyed in the 19th century 1800–99
Destroyed Frescoes of the Life of Saint Benedict Luca Giordano Painted for the Abbey of Monte Cassino Bombing, Battle of Monte Cassino, February 15, 1944 1944
Destroyed William III Leading Troops at the Battle of the Boyne Godfrey Kneller Grocers' Hall Fire, London, 22 September 1965

18th century

List of notable lost artworks
Status Creation date(s) (est.) Known as Creator Commission/provenance note Loss event Year lost (est.) Surviving copies and documentation
Destroyed The White Duck Jean-Baptiste Oudry Houghton Hall theft 1990
Jean-Baptiste Oudry's The White Duck, which was stolen in 1990
Missing The Amber Room of the Catherine Palace Stolen by Germans during World War II 1941–45
Destroyed 1702 Venus Imploring Jupiter on Behalf of Aeneas, the ceiling painting for the Grand Gallery of the Palais-Royal Antoine Coypel Destroyed in the late 18th century after 1783 A sketch for it survives
Missing The Drawing Lesson Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
Missing A Girl Reciting her Gospel Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
Destroyed 1724–25 Still Life with Copper Kettle, Bowl with Eggs Chardin Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed c. 1719 Decorations for the Chateau de la Muette: the Goddess Ki Mao Sao in the Kingdom of Mang in the country of Laos Watteau French Revolution 1789–99
Destroyed Spring (Printemps) Watteau One of a series of four paintings of the Seasons, painted for the banker Pierre Crozat Lost, then rediscovered in 1964, destroyed by fire two years later 1966
Missing Autumn Watteau One of a series of four paintings of the Seasons, painted by Watteau for the banker Pierre Crozat
Missing Winter Watteau One of a series of four paintings of the Seasons, painted by Watteau for the banker Pierre Crozat
Missing Jay and Oriole Hung by the Feet Jean-Baptiste Oudry Exhibited at the Salon of 1751
Destroyed 1731 A Harlot's Progress (the original paintings) William Hogarth Fire at Fonthill Abbey 1755 1732 engravings survive
Destroyed 1738 Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn William Hogarth Fire at Littleton House in December[42] 1874 An engraving by the artist survives
Destroyed Fresco of The Translation of the Holy House of Loreto Gianbattista Tiepolo In the Church of the Scalzi, Venice Austrian shelling in World War I 1915
Destroyed c. 1754 Frescoes glorifying the Soderini family Gianbattista Tiepolo and Giandomenico Tiepolo Villa Soderini, Nervesa della Battaglia, in the Veneto Italo-Austrian engagement in World War I, June 15–19[43] 1918Photographs survive.
Missing Mars Resting ceiling painting Gianbattista Tiepolo Executed for Rinaldi's Chinese palace, Oranienbaum, Russia Transferred to Pavlovsk for safekeeping; vanished 1941
Destroyed 1731 The Triumph of the Arts and Sciences ceiling fresco Gianbattista Tiepolo Palazzo Archinto, Milan bombing[44] 1943 Photographs survive
Destroyed 1731 Apollo and Phaethon ceiling fresco Gianbattista Tiepolo Palazzo Archinto, Milan bombing 1943
Destroyed 1731 Perseus and Andromeda ceiling fresco Gianbattista Tiepolo Palazzo Archinto, Milan bombing 1943
Destroyed 1731 Juno with Fortuna and Venus ceiling fresco Gianbattista Tiepolo Palazzo Archinto, Milan bombing 1943
Destroyed 1761 Triumph of Hercules ceiling fresco Gianbattista Tiepolo Painted for the principal salon of the Palazzo Canossa, Verona Reduced to fragments by bombing in the Second World War 1945
Destroyed Nativity Sir Joshua Reynolds Belvoir Castle fire[45] 1816
Destroyed The Infant Jupiter Sir Joshua Reynolds Belvoir Castle fire 1816
Destroyed General James Oglethorpe Sir Joshua Reynolds Belvoir Castle fire 1816
Destroyed 1766 David Garrick leaning on a bust of Shakespeare Gainsborough Painted for the Stratford Shakespeare Jubilee Fire at Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall[46] 1946 Known from engravings and various copies
Destroyed 1787 The Woodman and his Dog in a Storm Gainsborough Fire at Exton Old Park[47] 1810 A 1791 mezzotint by Pierre Simon exists
Destroyed Cottage Children with an Ass Gainsborough Fire at Exton Old Park 1810 Survives in mezzotint
Destroyed Portrait of Sir Francis Sykes of Basildon with a groom, two horses, and a dog Gainsborough Fire at the Pantechnicon warehouse, London February 13–14[48] 1874
Destroyed The Destruction of Niobe's Children Richard Wilson Formerly National Gallery, London World War II 1944
Destroyed Numerous colonial portraits John Singleton Copley Formerly belonging to Peter Wainwright Great Boston Fire of 1872[49] 1872
Destroyed 1777 Portrait of Thomas Paine Charles Willson Peale Exhibited in Peale's Museum to 1854, later owned by T.B. MacDonough and the actor Joseph Jefferson Fire at Joseph Jefferson's summer house in Buttermilk Bay, April 1, 1893[50] 1893 An engraving survives.
Destroyed Bust of the composer Gluck in marble Jean-Antoine Houdon Fire at the Paris Opera 1873 Terra cotta versions exist
Missing 1781 The Eidophusikon Philip James de Loutherbourg
Destroyed 1784 Glorification of the Giustiniani Family (fresco) Giandomenico Tiepolo Executed for the Doge's Palace, Genoa Allowed to decay and replaced by another fresco 1866 A preliminary sketch is in the Metropolitan Museum.
Missing 1793 Louis-Michel le Peletier, marquis de Saint-Fargeau on his Death Bed Jacques-Louis David Exhibited with David's Marat in the courtyard of the Louvre,16 October 1793 An engraving by Anatole Desvoges exists
Destroyed 1797–98George III and the Prince of Wales Reviewing Troops William Beechey Windsor Castle fire 1992 -

19th century

List of notable lost artworks
Status Creation date(s) (est.) Known as Creator Commission/provenance note Loss event Year lost (est.) Surviving copies and documentation
Destroyed 1806 Don Antonio de Porcel Goya Fire in the Jockey Club, Buenos Aires 1956
Missing 1808A Vision of the Last Judgment William Blake Earlier versions and sketches survive, but the final version has not been seen since the cancellation of an 1810 exhibit it was to have been part of
Destroyed Seated portrait of President Washington Gilbert Stuart Library of Congress fire 1851
Destroyed Seated portrait of President Adams Gilbert Stuart Library of Congress fire 1851
Destroyed Seated portrait of President Jefferson Gilbert Stuart Library of Congress fire 1851
Destroyed Portrait of Peyton Randolph, Speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses Charles Willson Peale Library of Congress fire 1851
Destroyed George Washington Seated, in Roman dress, marble sculpture Canova Fire in the North Carolina State House, Raleigh 1831 The artist's plaster model survives
Destroyed The Dream of Love (Jupiter and Io) Rembrandt Peale Fire while on exhibition in New York prior to 1855, according to the artist Before 1855
Destroyed Musidora Rembrandt Peale Fire at a Philadelphia art gallery in 1850 or 1851 1850–51
Destroyed 1807–08 Winter Caspar David Friedrich Glaspalast (Munich) fire 1931
Destroyed 1818The Farewell Caspar David Friedrich Glaspalast (Munich) fire 1931
Destroyed c. 1820The Harbor at Grifswald Caspar David Friedrich Glaspalast (Munich) fire 1931
Destroyed 1824Autumn Landscape with Brush Collector Caspar David Friedrich Glaspalast (Munich) fire 1931
Destroyed 1825Evening Caspar David Friedrich Glaspalast (Munich) fire 1931
Destroyed 1811Mountain Chapel in the Mist Caspar David Friedrich Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed 1817–18Monastery Graveyard in the Snow Caspar David Friedrich Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed 1824High Mountain Region Caspar David Friedrich Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed 1830–35Northern Lights Caspar David Friedrich Friedrichshain flak tower fire 1945
Destroyed 1807The Mouth of the Thames Turner World War II 1939–45
Destroyed 1830Fish Market on the Sands Turner formerly owned by Billy Rose Fire 1956
Missing 1850Aeneas Relating his Story to Dido Turner
Destroyed 1846War and Peace Sir Edwin Landseer Thames flooding the basement of the Tate Gallery, January 1928
Missing 1840–46Mississippi River Panorama John Banvard Cut into pieces 1850–99
Destroyed 1849–50Washington Crossing the Delaware (first version) Emanuel Leutze Air raid on Bremen 1942
Destroyed Apotheosis of Napoleon I ceiling painting Ingres Hôtel de Ville fire[51] 1871
Destroyed 1830The Storming of the Bastille Delaroche, Paul Hôtel de Ville fire 1871
Destroyed 1826Justinian Drafting his Laws Delacroix, Eugène Painted for the Council of State, Paris Fire in the Paris Commune 1871 An 1855 photograph survives[52]
Destroyed 1852–54 Peace Consoles Mankind and Brings Abundance Delacroix, Eugène Hôtel de Ville fire 1871
Destroyed 1848 Murals of War and Peace Théodore Chassériau Painted for the Cour des Comptes, Palais of the Quai d'Orsay, Paris Fire in the Paris Commune 1871 A fragment of Peace is preserved in the Louvre
Destroyed 1856 Napoleon III Winterhalter, Franz Xaver Tuileries Palace fire 1871 Models by the artist and copies exist
Destroyed 1856 Empress Eugénie Winterhalter, Franz Xaver Tuileries Palace fire 1871 Models by the artist and copies exist
Destroyed The Jewish Captivity in Babylon Jean-François Millet Submitted for the Paris Salon, 1848 Painted over by the artist with a scene executed in Normandy 1870–71
Destroyed The Stone Breakers Courbet World War II, while in transit from the Dresden Gallery 1939–45
Destroyed 1863The Return from the Conference Courbet Destroyed by its owner due to its anticlerical content 1909
Destroyed 1864Venus and Psyche Courbet Enemy air action, Berlin, World War II 1945
Missing 1873–75View of Auvers-sur-Oise Cézanne Ashmolean Museum theft 1999
View of Auvers-sur-Oise by Paul Cézanne
Destroyed 1882Donkey Cart with Boy and Scheveningen Woman Van Gogh Formerly in Rotterdam Fire 1940
Destroyed 1885The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen with Pond and Figures Van Gogh Fire in Rotterdam during World War II 1939–45
Missing 1885The Apparition James Tissot Lost A mezzotint by the artist exists
Destroyed 1886Windmill on Montmartre Van Gogh Fire 1967
Destroyed 1888Still Life: Vase with Five Sunflowers Van Gogh Formerly in the collection of Koyata Yamamoto, Japan American air raids on Ashiya District, August 5–6[53] 1945
Destroyed 1888The Painter on his Way to Work Van Gogh Formerly in the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum, Berlin Fire in World War II 1939–45
Destroyed 1888The Park at Arles with the Entrance Seen Through the Trees Van Gogh Fire in World War II 1939–45
Missing 1888The Lovers: The Poet's Garden IV Van Gogh Declared degenerate and confiscated by the Nazis, Whereabouts unknown 1937
Destroyed The New Jerusalem George Inness Partial collapse of Madison Square Garden[54] 1880 Salvaged fragments survive, including Valley of the Olive Trees in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore
Destroyed 1895 Portrait of French playwright Alfred Jarry Henri Rousseau Destroyed by the sitter, who disliked it
Missing 1891-2 Diana (Saint Gaudens) bronze sculpture (first version) Augustus Saint-Gaudens Designed to crown the Madison Square Garden tower Replaced by the artist with a lighter, smaller copper version
Destroyed Head of Sir Henry Irving John Singer Sargent Destroyed by the sitter, who disliked it
Presumed Destroyed c. 1899Portrait of Thomas Eakins William Merritt Chase Presumed destroyed by the sitter
Missing 1886Hen with Sapphire Pendant Fabergé Russian Revolution 1922
Missing 1888Cherub with Chariot Fabergé Russian Revolution 1922
Missing 1889 Necessaire egg Fabergé Russian Revolution 1922
Missing 1898Mauve egg Fabergé Russian Revolution 1922
Missing 1899Furor Teutonicus Paja Jovanović An over 20 square meter painting last seen at the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts (where the painting was also known as Los Barbaros) Lost sometime between 1911 and World War II 1911–39 A heliogravure copy and an oil canvas sketch survive at the Belgrade City Museum.[55]

20th century

List of notable lost artworks
Status Creation date(s) (est.) Known as Creator Commission/provenance note Loss event Year lost (est.) Surviving copies and documentation
Missing 1902 Empire Nephrite Egg Fabergé Russian Revolution 1922
Missing 1903 Royal Danish Egg Fabergé Russian Revolution 1922
Missing 1909 Alexander III Commemorative Egg Fabergé Russian Revolution 1922
Destroyed 1898 Musik II Gustav Klimt Formerly in the Lederer family collection, Vienna Schloss Immendorf fire[56] 1945
Destroyed 1899 Schubert at the Piano Gustav Klimt Formerly in the Lederer family collection, Vienna Schloss Immendorf fire 1945
Destroyed 1899 Portrait of Serena Lederer Gustav Klimt Formerly in the Lederer family collection, Vienna Schloss Immendorf fire 1945
Destroyed 1903 Golden Apple Tree Gustav Klimt Formerly in the Lederer family collection, Vienna Schloss Immendorf fire 1945
Destroyed 1903 Procession of the Dead Gustav Klimt Formerly in the Lederer family collection, Vienna Schloss Immendorf fire 1945
Destroyed 1899–1907 Medicine Gustav Klimt Schloss Immendorf fire 1945
Destroyed 1899–1907 Philosophy Gustav Klimt Schloss Immendorf fire 1945
Destroyed 1899–1907 Jurisprudence Gustav Klimt Schloss Immendorf fire 1945
Destroyed 1911–12 Farm Garden with Crucifix Gustav Klimt Schloss Immendorf fire 1945 Color images survive
Destroyed 1913 Malcesine on Lake Garda Gustav Klimt Schloss Immendorf fire 1945 Color images survive
Destroyed 1916 Garden Path with Chickens Gustav Klimt Schloss Immendorf fire 1945 Color images survive
Destroyed 1916 Portrait of Wally Gustav Klimt Formerly in the Lederer family collection, Vienna Schloss Immendorf fire 1945
Destroyed 1916–17 The Girlfriends Gustav Klimt Formerly in the Lederer family collection, Vienna Schloss Immendorf fire 1945 Color images survive
Destroyed 1917 Leda Gustav Klimt Formerly in the Lederer family collection, Vienna Schloss Immendorf fire 1945
Destroyed 1917 Gastein Gustav Klimt Schloss Immendorf fire 1945
Destroyed 1910 Composition I Wassily Kandinsky Destroyed in British air raid on Braunschweig, Germany 1944 Known from photographs
Destroyed 1910 Tammany Hall at Night John Sloan Fire, during transit The artist later created a replica from photographs
Destroyed 1912 La Vie Familiale (Family Life) Alexander Archipenko Paris Destroyed in Paris during the First World War bombardment Black & white images survive
Missing 1912 Paysage près de Paris (Landschaft bei Paris) Albert Gleizes Hannover Confiscated by the Nazis around 1937[57][58] 1937 Black & white image survive
Missing 1913 En Canot (In Boot) Jean Metzinger Kronprinzenpalais, Nationalgalerie, Berlin Confiscated by the Nazis around 1936, displayed at the Degenerate Art Exhibition in Munich and other cities, 1937–38, missing ever since.[59] 1937-38 Black & white images survive
Destroyed 1925 Water Lilies (major study) Claude Monet Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) fire 1958[60]
Destroyed 1925 Water Lilies (small study) Claude Monet Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) fire 1961
Destroyed 1933 Man at the Crossroads mural Diego Rivera Nelson Rockefeller commissioned the work Rockefeller was offended (it included a portrait of Lenin) and had it removed 1934 Rivera later recreated the work as Man, Controller of the Universe in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
Missing 1936 The Trench Otto Dix Exhibited at the 1937 Degenerate Art Exhibit Nazi Plunder 1937[61]
Presumed Destroyed 1937 The Reaper a large mural on panels depicting a Catalan peasant Joan Miró Created for the Spanish Republican pavilion of the 1937 Paris Exposition Subsequently sent to Valencia, where it was presumably destroyed 1937 Photographs of the installed mural exist
Destroyed 1944 The Seven Lively Arts a series of seven paintings Salvador Dali For Billy Rose Fire 1956 Known only from photographs
Destroyed 1940–46 Works housed in his studio Arshile Gorky Arshile Gorky Studio Fire 1946
Destroyed 1940–46 15 Works Arshile Gorky American Airlines Flight 1 plane crash 1962
Destroyed 1947 Corn Belt City Edward Hopper Park Avenue apartment fire 1975
Destroyed 1954 Portrait of Winston Churchill Graham Sutherland Deliberately destroyed by Lady Churchill because she did not like it 1954 Color photographs survive
Destroyed 1956 Some 20 works created on camera and then deliberately destroyed for the documentary Le Mystère Picasso (The Mystery of Picasso) Pablo Picasso 1956
Destroyed 1909-12 Cubist Head Pablo Picasso Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro fire[7] 1978
Destroyed 1937 Portrait of Dora Maar Pablo Picasso Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro fire[7] 1978
Missing 1950–53 Study after Velázquez III Francis Bacon Third in a series of portraits after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, 1650 Thought destroyed by the artist until the first two surfaced in 1999[62] 1953
Destroyed 1967 Untitled Wall Relief, an acrylic lacquer on Plexiglas piece Craig Kauffman Fell off the wall at the Pompidou Center of Paris and shattered on July 16 2006 [63]
Destroyed 1971 Untitled piece, molded polyester resin work Peter Alexander Fell and shattered at the Pompidou Center of Paris in April 2006 2006 [63]
Destroyed 1971 World Trade Center Stabile a 25' red steel sculpture Alexander Calder World Trade Center Collapse 2001
Destroyed 1973 The World Trade Center Tapestry a 20' x 35' tapestry Joan Miró Hung in the South Tower Lobby World Trade Center Collapse 2001
Destroyed 1971–72 or 1974–76 One painting from The Entablature Series Roy Lichtenstein World Trade Center Collapse 2001
Destroyed 1978 The Chartist Mural, a 115 by 12 feet mosaic mural in Newport, Wales Kenneth Budd Deliberately destroyed in October to make way for new development[64] 2013
Presumed Destroyed 1982 The Pearl Monument, which stood in the center of the Pearl Roundabout, Bahrain It was torn down by the Bahraini government on 18 March because it had been a focal point for protesters 2011
Missing 1984 Hole and Vessel wood and cement sculpture Anish Kapoor Discovered missing from its storage unit 2004
Missing 1986 Equal-Parallel/Guernica-Bengasi a 38-ton metal sculpture Richard Serra Formerly displayed at the Reina Sofia museum Could not be located in 2006[65][66] 2006
Destroyed 1989 Goddess of Democracy Students of the Central Academy of Fine Arts Destroyed by The People's Liberation Army during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 1989
Destroyed 1993 "House" an enormous temporary sculpture Rachel Whiteread Removed by London Borough of Tower Hamlets council on 11 January 1994
Destroyed 1901–73 The Painter Pablo Picasso Swissair Flight 111 Plane Crash 1998
Destroyed 1995 Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995 ("The Tent") Tracey Emin Momart fire 2004
Missing 1981 Tilted Arc Richard Serra Dismantled and removed 1989

21st century

List of notable lost artworks
Status Creation date(s) (est.) Known as Creator Commission/provenance note Loss event Year lost (est.) Surviving copies and documentation
Missing Seeds Dan Narita Exhibited at The Mall Galleries as part of the Threadneedle Prize Exhibition in London 2012 Lost after the exhibit 2012
Leonardo da Vinci, Battle of Anghiari

List of notable finds

Notable finds
Year found Year lost (est.) Creation date(s) (est.) Known as Creator Loss event
1506 27 BC-68 AD Laocoön and His Sons Agesander, Athenodoros and Polydorus Fall of the Roman Empire, destruction of Emperor Titus' palace
1990 1802 1602 The Taking of Christ Caravaggio Misattribution by descendants of the original owner, Ciriaco Mattei
1999 1953 1950–53 Study after Velázquez I Francis Bacon Thought destroyed by the artist[62]
1999 1953 1950–53 Study after Velázquez II Francis Bacon Thought destroyed by the artist[62]
2000 1945 1862 Femme nue couchée Gustave Courbet Soviet looting of Budapest
2008 1750–1800 1595 Francesco St Jerome Palma Giovane Unknown
2009[67] 1929 1920 Sleeping Lady with Black Vase Robert Bereny
2010 2000 1882 Beach in Pourville Monet National Museum, Poznań theft
2012 1695 1634 Magistrate of Brussels oil sketch Van Dyck Overpainting
2012 1922 1887 Third Imperial Egg Fabergé Russian Revolution
2012 1945 N/A 2012 Munich artworks discovery N/A World War II
2014[68] 1970 1889 Fruits on a table or still life with a small dog Gauguin Terrence Kennedy residence, London, theft
2016[69] 2002 1882 View of the Sea at Scheveningen Van Gogh 2002 Van Gogh Museum theft
2016[69] 2002 1884 Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen Van Gogh 2002 Van Gogh Museum theft

List of notable disputed finds

Notable disputed finds
Year found Year lost (est.) Creation date(s) (est.) Known as Creator Loss event
2014[70] 1700[71] 1604-05[70] Judith Beheading Holofernes Caravaggio Unknown

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "FBI — Art Theft". FBI.
  2. ↑ Houpt, Simon (2006). Museum of the Missing: The High Stakes of Art Crime. Key Porter Books. ISBN 978-1-86189-316-1.
  3. 1 2 Stockdale, James (1872). Annales Caermoelenses or Annals of Cartmel. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Company. pp. 425–429. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  4. ↑ Lambourne, Nicola (2001). War Damage in Western Europe: The Destruction of Historic Monuments During the Second World War. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0-7486-1285-8.
  5. ↑ Simpson, Elizabeth (1997). The Spoils of War--World War II and Its Aftermath: The Loss, Reappearance, and Recovery of Cultural Property. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., and The Bard Graduate Center. ISBN 0-8109-4469-3.
  6. ↑ Norris, Christopher (December 1952). "The Disaster at Flakturm Friedrichshain: a Chronicle and List of Paintings". The Burlington Magazine. XCIV (597).
  7. 1 2 3 "Replacement of Art in Rio is Uncertain". Reading Eagle. AP. 14 Dec 1978. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "National Stolen Art File". fbi.gov. FBI. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  9. ↑ Louis Viardot, An Illustrated History of Painters of All Schools (1877), p. 42. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  10. ↑ David G. Wilkins, "Donatello's Lost Dovizia for the Mercato Vecchio: Wealth and Charity as Florentine Civic Virtues," The Art Bulletin, vol.65, Issue 3 (1983),pp.401-23. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  11. ↑ Sir George Francis Hill, Pisanello, 1905 pp.77-81. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  12. ↑ Louis Viardot,An Illustrated History of Painters of All Schools (1877), p.52. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  13. ↑ Diane Cole Ahl,Benozzo Gozzoli: Tradition and Innovation in Renaissance Painting (Yale University Press, 1996), p. 71-77. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  14. ↑ Giacchino Barbera, et al.,Antonello Da Messina Sicily's Renaissance Master (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005), p. 22. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  15. ↑ Julia Mary Cartwright Ady,The Life and Art of Sandro Botticelli (London, Duckworth, 1904), pp. 117-20. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  16. ↑ Howard Jones & Ross Kilpatrick, "Cicero, Plutarch and Vincenzo Foppa. Rethinking the Medici Bank Fresco (London, The Wallace Collection, Inv. P538)," International Journal of the Classical Tradition Vol.13, No.3, Winter 2007, pp. 369-83. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  17. ↑ William E. Wallace, "The Bentivoglio Palace Lost and Reconstructed," The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol.10, No.3 (Autumn 1979), pp.97-114. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  18. ↑ K. Phillips-Court,The Perfect Genre: Drama and Painting in Renaissance Italy (Ashgate Publishing Co., 2011) p. 158 and n. 51. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  19. ↑ F. Russell, "Towards a Reassessment of Perugino's Lost Fresco of the 'Adoration of the Magi' at San Giusto alle Mura" Burlington Magazine, Vol. cxvi (Nov. 1974), pp.646-52. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  20. ↑ Laura A.Hibbard, "Erkenbald the Belgian: A Study in Medieval Exempla of Justice," Modern Philology, Vol.17, April 1920, pp. 672-74. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  21. ↑ David Ekserdijan, Correggio (Yale University Press 1997), pp. 172,175 and fig.195. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  22. ↑ John Guy, A Daughter's Love: Thomas More and his Dearest Meg (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2009), p.172. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  23. ↑ Gentleman's Magazine, November 1834 pp. 477-83. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  24. ↑ John Pine,The Tapestry Hangings of the House of Lords. . . (1739). Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  25. ↑ James Hutton,A Hundred Years Ago, An Historical Sketch, 1755-56 (1857) p. 142. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  26. ↑ John Smith, A catalogue raisonne of the works of the most eminent. . . (1830), p. 153. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  27. ↑ The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History and Politics of the Year, 1861, pp. 18-19. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  28. ↑ Albert J. Loomie, "A Lost Crucifixion by Rubens," The Burlington Magazine Vol. 138, No. 1124 (Nov. 1996). Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  29. ↑ "Rubens Work Is Burned," The New York Times (AP), June 14, 1985. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  30. ↑ W. Pickering, t The Gentleman's Magazine vol. 5 (1836), p.590. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  31. ↑ Barnes, An Examination of Hunting Scenes by Peter Paul Rubens (2009), p.34. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  32. ↑ Peter C. Sutton, et al., Drawn by the Brush: Oil Sketches by Peter Paul Rubens (Yale University Press,2004), p.144 and Fig.1. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  33. ↑ Helmut Wohl, ed.,"Notes to Life of Peter Paul Rubens" p. 207 n. 25 in Giovan Pietro Bellori: The Lives of the Modern Painters . . . Cambridge Univ. Press 2005. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  34. ↑ Anne T. Woollett and Ariane Suchtelen,Rubens & Brueghel: A Working Friendship, (2006), p.94 and n.12. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  35. ↑ Arthur K. Wheelock and Adele F. Seeff,The Public and Private in Dutch Culture of the Golden Age, University of Delaware Press (2000), p.224. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  36. ↑ Edmund Burke, ed.,The Annual Register, (Rivington 1872), pp. 25-27. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  37. ↑ C. P. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch …, 1908, Vol. 1, p.14
  38. ↑ Susan Jaques,The Empress of Art: Catherine the Great and the Transformation of Russia, pp.89-90. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  39. ↑ Charles-Nicolas Cochin, Voyage d'Italie. . . (Paris, 1758) v.1, pp.171-2. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  40. ↑ R. Ward Bissell,Artemisia Gentileschi and the Authority of Art: Critical Reading and Catalogue Raisonne (Penn State Press 2000), pp.296-97. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  41. ↑ "Guido Reni's Ariadne / Exhibitions – Musei Capitolini". museicapitolini.org. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  42. ↑ Louis Viardot, An Illustrated History of Painters of All Schools (1877), p. 404. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  43. ↑ "Giambattista Tiepolo (Venice 1696–1770 Madrid)". Invaluable.com. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
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Bibliography

Books

Adams, Robert (1980). The Lost Museum: Glimpses of Vanished Originals. Viking Press. ISBN 0-670-44107-4. 
British Committee on the Preservation and Restitution of Works of Art, London (1945). Works of Art in Italy: Losses and Survivals in the War (PDF). 
Flick, Gert-Rudolf (2003). Missing Masterpieces: Lost Works of Art, 1450–1900. Merrell. ISBN 1-85894-197-0. 
Gamboni, Dario (1997). The Destruction of Art: Iconoclasm and Vandalism since the French Revolution. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-86189-316-1. 
Houpt, Simon (2006). Museum of the Missing: The High Stakes of Art Crime. Key Porter Books. 
Lambourne, Nicola (2001). War Damage in Western Europe: The Destruction of Historic Monuments During the Second World War. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0-7486-1285-8. 
LaFarge, Henry Adams (ed.) (1946). Lost Treasures of Europe: 427 Photographs. Pantheon. 
Simpson, Elizabeth (1997). The Spoils of War--World War II and Its Aftermath: The Loss, Reappearance, and Recovery of Cultural Property. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., and The Bard Graduate Center. ISBN 0-8109-4469-3. 
Stockdale, James (1872). Annales Caermoelenses or Annals of Cartmel. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Company. pp. 425–429. Retrieved 6 June 2014. 
Strong, Roy (1990). Lost Treasures of Britain: Five Centuries of Creation and Destruction. Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-83383-2. 

Journals

Norris, Christopher (December 1952). "The Disaster at Flakturm Friedrichshain: a Chronicle and List of Paintings". The Burlington Magazine. XCIV (597). 

News

Djordjevic, Marija (13 September 2009). "Čileanski muzej krije odgovore". Retrieved 21 October 2013. 
"Replacement of Art in Rio is Uncertain". Reading Eagle. AP. 14 December 1978. Retrieved 5 June 2014. 

External links

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