Duke Versus Gallery

London’s National Gallery and the Duke of Northumberland are disputing a Raphael painting the Duke’s family loaned the museum and now wants to sell. “The Madonna of the Pinks has been on loan to the National Gallery for 10 years, and the gallery said it had a deal with the previous duke that would have given it first option on the painting. But the duke said neither side has evidence of such an agreement. He was also angered by stories saying proceeds of the sale would go towards a garden renovation, and that the painting had been hanging forgotten in a dusty corridor until a National Gallery expert spotted it.”