Portrait of a Young Woman by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
This oil on canvas painting is relatively small at only 23 by 14 inches. It was part of the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum prior to the war. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was known for creating paintings that have a realistic observation of the people within them. He captures both photo-realistic representations of people but also the depth of their emotional state. His dramatic use of lighting in his paintings would greatly influence the Baroque paintings that would follow him.
Portrait of a Young Woman is no different from the rest of his stunning works. It features a beautiful young woman, nicely dressed and touching some flowers on her chest. The precision in her facial expression truly captured the personality of the subject matter. It has not been seen since 1945.
The painting belonged to the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum (now the Gemaldegalerie) in Berlin but was moved to the Berlin-Friedrichshain Flak tower repository. The painting was moved because the tower had reinforced concrete structures which were believed to be anti-aircraft and therefore a perfect place to protect the priceless artwork.
As of May 1945, the painting was believed to be in the tower but when the Soviets entered Berlin they found it difficult to keep a tight guard on the paintings still stored within the tower. That month a fire started within the tower that spread throughout the entire repository. It is believed that all of the art was destroyed but in 2011, a painting that was believed to be stored in the tower turned up for auction in New York. This leads some to believe that other paintings might have been saved.
Sources For Further Reading:
Daily Art Magazine – 10 Most Important Masterpieces Lost During II World War
Smithsonian Magazine – The True Story of the Monuments Men
NEH – Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art
Singul Art – The World’s Most Famous Missing Painting: Portrait of a Young Man by Raphael
BBC News – Gustav Klimt: What’s The Secret to His Mass Appeal?
Another Magazine – Little-Known Facts About Symbolist Master Gustav Klimt
Reuters – How Tourists Shaped Canaletto’s Paintings
History Collection – 20 Incredible Works of Art that are Lost Forever