South Yorkshire Times December 8, 1951

Tailpiece

I Remember the case of an American tourist in Italy who bought a small and dirty Madonna in a small and dirty street in a small and dirty town and was sure he had found a Cinquecento jewel.

To evade the law against the export of historic works of art he had a modern portrait painted over it. On arrival home he sent it to the picture restorers, and in a few days received a telephone call: “We have cleaned off the portrait. We have cleaned off the Madonna. We are now at work on the coronation of Napoleon.”

(“Manchester Guardian”)