8 world masterpieces that are missing: what is known about them today

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

A special creative expression of beauty that evokes a powerful emotional response is what is called art. After all, the desire to receive aesthetic pleasure and love for beauty are the two most important spiritual needs of a person. Unfortunately, humanity has lost so many priceless works of art, the loss of which cannot be measured in money. Learn more about the eight greatest missing masterpieces in history. From the Russian national treasure plundered by the Nazis to the Da Vinci painting that no one has ever seen.

1. Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The massive bronze sculpture depicted the sun god Helios. She towered over the city for a little over half a century. The sculpture was the height of a modern 14-story building. It was created for twelve years by a master from the ancient Greek city of Lindos named Hares. The colossus was, without a doubt, just an incredible sight for everyone who just entered the noisy harbor. Unfortunately, in 226 BC, there was a terrible earthquake. A natural disaster almost completely destroyed the beautiful creation of human hands.

The once mighty statue lay in ruins for several centuries. Later, Arab merchants sold almost all of its fragments for scrap. To date, not a single real image of the Colossus of Rhodes has survived. Ancient sources note that Helios was sculptured standing with a torch in his outstretched hand. Verbal descriptions of this masterpiece of the ancient world later inspired Frederick Bartholdi to create the famous Statue of Liberty.

2. "Shield of Medusa" by Leonardo da Vinci

Some of Leonardo da Vinci's works have been lost over time. The most mysterious of them, undoubtedly, is the "Shield of Medusa". This work was painted by an Italian master in his youth. Presumably, it was a shield, decorated with the image of a serpentine creature, apparently depicting Medusa the Gorgon from ancient Greek mythology.

According to art historian Giorgio Vasari's notes from 1550, the painting was so realistic that it scared Leonardo's father wildly. He found it so grim that he secretly sold it to a group of Florentine merchants. The shield disappeared long ago and without a trace. Some modern experts argue that Vasari's story may have been nothing more than a myth.

3. "Stone Crushers" by Gustave Courbet

This work was written in 1849. The classic example of Socialist Realism has been recognized for its unsentimental portrayal of poor workers. One of them was young and the other old. The men were removing stones from the road. The masterpiece was inspired by the artist's chance encounter with two downtrodden workers.

Courbet deliberately broke with convention by capturing men in great detail. Nothing escaped the painter's tenacious gaze: neither torn and dirty clothes, nor extremely tense muscles for hard work. Thanks to this work, Courbet became famous. Unfortunately, the Stone Crushers ended up being one of too many cultural victims of World War II. At the end of the war, the canvas was destroyed during a bombing raid near Dresden, Germany.

4. "Man at the Crossroads" by Diego Rivera

Diego Rivera painted a huge number of frescoes. Probably his most famous work, unfortunately, was most likely destroyed. In 1932, John D. Rockefeller commissioned an artist to paint the walls of New York's Rockefeller Center. It was supposed to be something inspiring about the Man at the Crossroads theme. It was necessary to depict how humanity, with a sense of deep hope, looks at the choice of a new and better future. Rivera responded to the challenge with revolutionary work that mentioned scientific progress, civil rights, and the plight of the working class. An ardent leftist in his political convictions, he also included an image of the communist leader, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. The move infinitely offended the affectionate feelings of his wealthy patrons. When Rivera flatly refused to remove the odious Lenin from his fresco, the Rockefellers covered the painting with canvas and then destroyed it.

5. "Portrait of Sir Winston Churchill" by Sutherland

In 1954, members of the British Parliament commissioned a portrait of Winston Churchill from the artist Graham Sutherland as a gift. They presented the picture to the British leader for his 80th birthday. Although Churchill claimed that he was very flattered by this gift, he did not like the portrait very much. Sir Winston was not a fan of Sutherland's realistic rendering. In addition, in his opinion, the artist captured him in a very unflattering pose. In fact, the Prime Minister hated this portrait of himself so much that he decided not to attend the ceremony. He also wrote a letter to Sutherland in which he personally expressed his deep disappointment.

Churchill and his wife categorically rejected all requests to put the painting on public display. Over time, the work virtually disappeared from sight for many years. After Lady Churchill's death in 1977, it was finally revealed that she personally smashed and burned the hated portrait less than a year after it was presented.

6. Buddha Bamiyan

This legendary pair of stone Buddhas was built around the 6th century. The sculptures stood for fifteen centuries before they fell victim to the cultural cleansing of the Taliban. The carved figures, a little over forty to fifty meters high, were originally carved directly into the sandy rock. They served as Bamiyan's most impressive monument at a time when the city flourished as a Silk Road trade center.

Buddhas have stood for over one and a half thousand years. They have survived several devastating Muslim raids and even the invasion of Genghis Khan himself. They were finally destroyed in the spring of 2001. The Taliban and their al-Qaeda associates issued an order that condemned all idolatrous images. Ignoring the loud appeals of the international community, the barbarians fired anti-aircraft guns at the statues and then blew them up with dynamite. The destruction of the Buddhas was condemned as a crime against culture. But there was something interesting about it. A number of previously hidden rock paintings and texts were found behind the fragments of the statues. In 2008, archaeologists unearthed a third, previously hidden statue of Buddha near the ruins.

7. "Nativity of Christ with Saints Francis and Lawrence" by Caravaggio

Since the theft of this painting in 1969, Caravaggio's nativity scene has been considered one of the most famous stolen masterpieces in the art world. The canvas has not been seen anywhere since it was stolen from a chapel in Palermo, Italy. There is indirect evidence that the Sicilian mafia could have played an important role in the high-profile robbery.

In 1996, an anonymous informant reported that he and several other men had stolen a painting for a private buyer. During the robbery, they accidentally damaged it by cutting the canvas out of the frame. More than a decade later, another former mobster claimed that the painting was hidden in a storage shed but was irreparably damaged by rats and pigs. It was later completely destroyed by fire. The fate of "Christmas" ultimately remained a mystery. If the painting were found, it would now cost as much as $ 20 million.

8. Amber room

This stunning, unsurpassed masterpiece was created by sculptor Andreas Schlüter and amber craftsman Gottfried Wolfram. The contemplation of this work of art was breathtaking. Its magically shimmering amber panels were lavishly adorned with gold leaf and sumptuous gemstone mosaics. The area of the unique creation was seventeen square meters. It was first built in 1701 and later donated to Peter the Great to strengthen the alliance between Prussia and Russia. The magnificent work of art has often been called the "eighth wonder of the world." It was rightfully considered a baroque masterpiece and would have cost over $ 140 million at today's prices.

The Amber Room existed for 225 years as a national treasure of Russia. During the Second World War, it was captured by the Germans. Then the Nazis took it apart and took it to Königsberg, Germany. There she disappeared towards the end of the war. Most historians believe it was destroyed by an Allied bombing raid in 1944. There are also experts' opinions that the room was packed and taken out of the city. After, according to some theories, she could be loaded onto a ship that sank in the Baltic Sea, or hidden in some kind of secret storage or bunker. The original room has never been found. Later, an exact copy of the Amber Room was built and installed in a museum near St. Petersburg.

If you are interested in this topic, read more about what is known today about 6 legendary treasures lost during the Second World War.