Debunking: the painting damaged by a Taiwanese boy is not by Paolo Porpora, and it’s not worth 1,5 million dollars
The painting is by Italian artist Mario Nuzzi and was sold in 2012 for 30.000 euro by an Italian auction house
The 17th century painting inadvertently damaged in Taipei by a Taiwanese boy is not by Paolo Porpora and it is not worth 1,5 million dollars, as widely reported. Il Post can confirm that the painting is actually by Mario Nuzzi and it is worth approximately 30.000 euro. Paolo Porpora is a famous 17th century Italian painter, Mario Nuzzi – also known as “Mario dei Fiori” – is a much less known Italian painter from the 17th century.
Sunday the 23rd of August, a 12 years old Taiwanese boy tripped while visiting an art exhibition in Taipei and punched a hole through a painting labelled Flowers and credited to the 17th century Italian painter Paolo Porpora. A video footage showing the boy tripping on the painting was widely shared on social media and by many international newspapers. The damaged painting was said to be worth around 1,5 million dollars. After photos of the damaged paintings were distributed to the press by the exhibition organizers, many people begun questioning the autenticity of the painting. The damaged painting very closely resembles another painting, Composizione con vaso di fiori by the Italian painter Mario Nuzzi.
After a phone conversation with Della Rocca Casa d’Aste, the Turin based auction house that sold Nuzzi’s painting in 2012 to an undisclosed buyer for around 30.000 euro, il Post can confirm that the damaged painting is Composizione con vaso di fiori by Nuzzi and not Flowers by Paolo Porpora.
A photo of Mario Nuzzi’s Composizione con vaso di fiori, available on Della Rocca Casa d’Aste website (left), and one of the Taipei exhibition organizer showing to the press a reproduction of the damaged painting (right).
This is one of the pictures circulated by the exhibition organizers to show the damage occurred to the painting:
As reported by the Guardian, Sun Chi-hsuan, the Taipei exhibition organizer, said that “all 55 paintings in the venue are authentic pieces and they are very rare and precious” and the authenticity of the painting was maintained by the exhibition curator Andrea Rossi, who blamed the misunderstanding on a labelling mistake by Casa d’Aste Della Rocca. Andrea Rossi explained that the owner of the painting – who said he’s in possession of its certificate of authenticity – did not wish to make it public.
Speaking on the phone to Casa d’Aste Della Rocca, Il Post has learned that Composizione con vaso di fiori by Nuzzi was put for sale twice in 2012 for around 30.000 euro going unsold, and that was afterward sold for around 30.000 euro in a private transaction to an undisclosed buyer. Casa d’Aste Della Rocca was aware of the damaged painting story and told Il Post they are sure the damaged painting is the same they sold in 2012 and that is not by Paolo Porpora. Casa d’Aste Della Rocca told Il Post that the painting was surveyed by world famed experts and that there are no doubts it is not by Paolo Porpora. Casa d’Aste Della Rocca confirmed that no labelling mistake has occurred.
On Casa d’Aste Della Rocca website, Nuzzi’s painting is described as 140x210cm big and produced in the final years of Nuzzi’s career. The damaged painting was described by the exhibition organizers as being 200cm tall.
