A painting by the C17th master, Josefa de Óbidos, has been bought by a collector at auction in Barcelona, potentially thwarting Óbidos Council’s plans to secure the canvas for public viewing.
Portugal’s Ministry of Culture did not buy the picture “because it would have to ask (Finance Minister) Centeno for permission,” said a Council spokesperson, adding that it had been informed too late to start this process.
The painting went under the hammer on Saturday for €110,000 but the Council’s expectation is that, as the buyer was a Portuguese collector, the painting not only will return to Portugal but also that it could end up being displayed in Óbidos, after all.
Óbidos mayor, Ernesto Marques, said he has been in talks with the new owner and that there is a possibility that the work could be in a permanent or temporary exhibition in the Council’s Municipal Museum.
Josefa de Óbidos (1630-1684) was a Spanish-born Portuguese painter. Her birth name was Josefa de Ayala Figueira but she signed her work, Josefa em Óbidos or, Josefa de Ayalla.
All of her paintings were executed in Portugal, her father's native country, where she lived from the age of four. Approximately 150 works of art have been attributed Josefa, making her one of the most prolific Baroque artists in Portugal.
Humberto Marques said that he would do everything in the municipality's grasp for ‘Niño Jesus Peregrino’ to stay in the country.
The picture has never been hung in Portugal yet, despite its importance, Minister of Culture Ângela Ferreira said that she could not proceed with the acquisition, due to time constraints and legal reasons and that she would have to gain special permission from the Minister of Finance to enter the bidding.
The Council did manage to gather a group of patrons to try and mount a winning bid, but the painting was knocked down to another.
Philippe Mendes, a gallery owner who recently offered the Louvre Museum a painting by Josefa de Óbidos, said that, it would be a pity if this magnificent painting by Josefa de Óbidos did not return to Portugal, as she is one of the great Portuguese artists.
The work, hitherto unknown but authenticated by Joaquim Oliveira Caetano, curator of the National Museum of Ancient Art, now is considered of national importance.
'Niño Jesus Peregrino’ Josefa de Óbidos (1630-1684)
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