In the “World Watch” page of the October12-13, 2024 issue of The Wall Street Journal, there is a close up photograph of a woman looking at a painting with a magnifier light. The sole text accompanying the photograph reads: Shine A Light: At a chateau in France, an expert inspects “The Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist”, long thought to be a 19th century work, but recently determined to have come from the studio of 15th century great Botticelli.
One often sees photographs in newspapers showing newly reattributed or newly restored works of art—always without explanation of what led to the work being reattributed or restored. It is likely that the average reader will do no more than glance at the photograph and move on without giving it further thought. How unfortunate that newspapers pass up what could be outreach opportunities for the field of conservation