‘Goya as no pardon has been offered, a deal can only be arranged if a guarantee is forthcoming. If you can assure me that £30,000 can be got from exhibition, or that you can get Gallery permission to continue exhibition until a minimum…
‘Goya’s Wellington is safe. I have looked upon this affair as an adventurous prank – must the authoritys refuse to see it this way. I know now that I am in the wrong, but I have gone too far to retreat. Liberty was risked in…
‘Terms are same. Rag students kidnap living persons for ransom – they are not charged. An amnesty in my case would not be out of order. The yard are looking for a needle in a haystack, but they haven’t a clue where the…
Introduction The purpose here is not to provide an exhaustive account of the theft, ransom and return of the Duke’s portrait. This has already been done by others far more accomplished than I. In addition a wealth of information is easily and freely…
‘The Duke is safe. His temperature cared for – his future uncertain. The painting is neither to be cloakroomed or kiosked, as such would defeat our purpose and leave us to ever open arrest. We want pardon or the right to leave the…
‘Query not that I have the Goya. It has a stick label on back saying F le gallais & Son. Depositories. Jersey. Name Duke of Leeds. Date 22.8.58 no 2. It has cross ribs each way (Back) The act is an attempt to…
Before we start, let’s just set the scene with something often overlooked by those researching the Duke’s theft. It’s the suspicion that the original picture purchased in 1961 was not actually painted by Goya at all! This will become relevant as we progress.…
Francisco De Goya’s Portrait of The Duke Of Wellington. Purchased for the nation at great cost and placed on exhibition 3rd August 1961 at the National Gallery in London. Found missing at 10.45 pm on the 21st of August 1961. (Coincidentally, fifty years…
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