Georgia PM invited to attend deposition ceremony of 17th-century painting in Dresden
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, February 20
While in Germany the Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze visited the Dresden Gallery to attend the depositing ceremony of Still Life with a Hare, a 17th-century painting by Pietro Francesco Cittadini, which he handed to Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to Tbilisi a few months ago.
The painting, owned by the Dresden Gallery and considered lost since 1945, was discovered in a private collection in Georgia, and the Georgian government returned it to the owner.
“A famous still life painting is returning to your beautiful historic museum today, and I take it as the restoration of historical justice. We discovered this painting by accident in the private collection of one of our citizens. The painting was brought to Georgia by a certain Soviet army officer decades ago.
“The private collector exhibited goodwill and handed over the painting, which was later given to Madam Chancellor during her visit to Georgia. This work previously, for decades, adorned the exhibition spaces of Dresden, and I am convinced that it will continue to serve to serve as your city’s calling card in the years to come. At the same time, this day is yet another demonstration of the historical friendship between the Georgian and German nations,” Bakhtadze said.
Bakhtadze thanked Germany for its continued support to Georgia.
“I would like to reiterate gratitude to the Government of Germany and the German people for their support. Historically and culturally, Georgia is part of European civilization. I am convinced that Georgia will successfully complete its convincing path toward European integration to return to its historical European family. Once again, thank you for hospitality. This day is about restoring historical justice, and I congratulate all of you,” Bakhtadze said.
During the ceremony, the painting’s story was discussed by the museum’s leadership who also emphasized that almost 500 exhibits went missing from the Dresden Museum, with only 56 of them reclaimed so far. Cittadini’s oil painting is displayed for the public in the Alte Meister Gallery of the museum.
