23 October,2012 06:59 AM IST | | Shiva Devnath
The Oshiwara police, investigating the case of the stolen replica of celebrated Spanish painter Francisco Goya's work, recently learnt that the painting was to be sold as an original.
The painting is currently with the Archaeological Survey of India based in Sion fort, and officials informed sleuths of the Oshiwara police station that they had discovered a chit written in English hidden in the painting's frame.
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However, though the painting may be an original of some known or unknown artist, the work is certainly not one of Goya's.
The officers of the Oshiwara police station said they would now try to find out about the painter. The officers said that they were informed that the chit written in English says that the painting had the original painter's signature hidden somewhere within the artwork itself.
"The chit mentions that to know about its originality, the owner should rub the foot in the painting with a wet cloth to reveal the signature of the painter. It also says that the signature would disappear the moment it dried again. Officials of the Archaeological Survey of India did as the chit mentioned and claim that the test confirmed that the painting was also an original, but not a work of Goya," said an officer from the Oshiwara police station.
According to the officers, the painting appears to be at least 100 years old and could be of high value. "Though it has been confirmed that the painting is not a work of Goya, the painter may be famous and the painting might be expensive. The frame work and the paints used on the canvas reveal that the painting must be at least a century old," the officer added.
Dilip Rupwate, senior police inspector of Oshiwara police station said that based on the information provided by the archaeologists, investigations would continue accordingly.
On February 3, the replica of Goya's famous painting âSaturn Devouring His Son' was recovered from real estate agent Majeed Sultan Khan's home while the police were searching for illegal firearms. Khan had claimed that a developer gifted him the painting instead of Rs 40 lakh in cash towards payment for a deal.
The developer he claimed had told him that the painting was an original Goya worth crores.u00a0
