The Nocturne

Interlude

  The painting in question? It is a curiosity, that is true, and I was both fascinated and unnerved by it.

     Here is a little of the background story of the masterwork that is titled 'Girl at Pianoforte' or 'Ragazza al Pianoforte' Oil on canvass, painted by celebrated Italian artist Gabriel Dante Moretti in 1876. It was only discovered two years after Moretti's death in 1878, hidden in the attic of the pretty cottage in which he lived, in a small fishing village in Sturla a Mare in Genoa. Gabriel Dante Moretti was a prolific painter, painting mainly still life and portrait paintings, although he also seems to have had a fascination with music, which often features prominently in his work. Moretti himself was known for being an accomplished musician as well as an artist of some note. He was a talented pianist and was known for having a strong tenor singing voice. He sung with a group of folk musicians in a Trallalero style, which was a type of male voice choir who perform, in an a cappella type of chorus. But Moretti seems to have had a fascination with music in particular, and he often painted other, fellow musicians at their work and play.

   When the painting 'Girl at Pianoforte' was finally discovered it had been so well hidden under the mattress of a bed in that attic that it was not recovered until the cottage belonging to Moretti  had been sold on, and the new owner. who was about to throw the mattress out, made the exciting discovery. There was never any explanation discovered as to why Gabriel Dante Moretti had hidden or secreted the artwork away in that place? And this was just the first of many curious and unsolved mysterious about this artwork. 

     This is the complicated and convoluted history of the painting 'Girl at Pianoforte'. It has a somewhat chequered past, which extensively, boils down a lot of squabbles over the ownership of Moretti's fine artwork. It seems that many have coveted and desired to take possession of this masterwork.

     The new property owner, of Gabriel Dante Moretti's cottage, after recovering the lost treasure, promptly gave the artwork to Moretti's brother Giovanni as Gabriel although married briefly had no living heir. Giovanni decided that his brother, had meant the work to be for public display and so loaned it to the 'Galleria d'Arte Moderna' in Milan, where it very briefly hung, meaning that anyone and everyone who wished to, had the opportunity to  view and admire the work. After Giovanni's death, his spoilt son Niccolo, a bankrupt wastrel and known morphine. (opium) addict desperate for money, claimed the rights to the painting There was a squabble over just who owned said rights to the work, the museum or the Moretti family of which Niccolo was the sole heir. It is rumoured that Niccolo, so drug addled and with so many gambling debts to pay off, and a price on his own head, broke into the museum, shooting dead a guard who tried to stop him, and finally made off with his prize. This story is unsubstantiated, but it is true that the painting had somehow made its way into Niccolo Moretti's possession. Niccolo then sold his uncle's work at a high price, to a private collector in England.

     This British collector was Lord Alfred Thyme second marquess of Bainswick from a wealthy landed family who owned a large Manor house and estate in this area near to Bodmin Moor. Lord Thyme was a known eccentric and philanthropist and he had decided that this painting, along with some of the others in his collection should be displayed publicly. He had decided to set up an art exhibition in the large hall on his estate so that people from the village could come and see the artworks. Like a man ahead of his time he believed that art should be available for everyone to see. I believe that this would have proved an excellent proposal and prospect for the villagers, if it had been allowed to take place.

     But unfortunately before this could happen the painting fell into the hands of Lord Thyme's notoriously scandalous brother Rowan Thyme, who although known to be a flamboyant, and charismatic character himself, he was also a jealous man, a drunkard and laudanum addict. Rowan, had coveted 'Girl at Pianoforte' Moretti's painting for himself. The story goes that while he and his brother Alfred were out one afternoon shooting peasant on the estate, Alfred was 'accidently' shot and killed in a freak accident. After Alfred Thyme's death was officially recorded as an 'accident' and his death certificate issued. The painting then disappeared from public view, most people believing that Rowan had taken it. Rowan died soon after his brother, only two weeks later in fact,  after a suspected  opium overdose. His body was discovered in a notoriously sordid and squalid public house. There was no sign of the painting. As he had not told a single soul  of where he had stowed away the painting, he took the secret of where she was hidden to the grave.  The painting was then never recovered. 'Girl at Pianoforte' had mysteriously vanished. She then remained disappeared for over a hundred and twenty years , and was largely forgotten about. Deemed to be lost forever.