Tuesday afternoon at the National Gallery and a group of French schoolchildren are messing around among the Velázquez and Murillos, and then — splash. A bottle of water gets sprayed over its priceless portrait of Don Adrián Pulido Pareja by Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo.
National Gallery director Nicholas Penny was summoned from his lofty quarters to inspect the damage and glowered. Children cowered (actually, the children had already left but that makes for a less dramatic scene).
Yesterday afternoon the National Gallery had a big gap on the wall and a notice saying the painting had been taken away for conservation.
Other paintings in the room include Murillo’s selfie, surrounded by his paintbrushes, and Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus, which was famously subjected to a slashing by suffragettes a hundred years ago this month.
This incident is less serious — it only being water — but adds fuel to the complaints by gallery attendants that staffing levels have reached such critically low levels, paintings are in danger. There was also a demonstration outside the gallery in Trafalgar Square last night, with staff brandishing placards saying: “Invaluable collection, undervalued staff”.
“Due to the prompt action of the gallery assistants the conservation staff were on the scene very rapidly and the painting was removed,” said a National Gallery spokesman. “It will be back on display in Room 30 on Wednesday,” they added after the painting has had a good mop down.
