Treasure Hunting / Recoveries
Rich and Valuable Shipwreck Cargoes Sought or Recovered Commercially News
Lost paintings in Russian shipwreck
By treasures | On 14/05/2019 | In Treasure Hunting / Recoveries
By Neil Murphy - The Mirror
Paintings by one of Russia's most famous artists which were lost in a shipwreck over 124 years ago could be worth millions of pounds, experts say.A number of highly-valuable works by Ivan Aivazovsky were lost when the General Kotzebue steamship sank off the coast of Crimea in 1895.
The wreckage was finally discovered last year by divers from Russia's Neptune underwater expedition along with the fragments of ten paintings.
Aivazovsky is believed to have given the crew the paintings and sketches after he travelled on board their vessel. An earlier expedition to recover the items was halted over fears that the operation would further damage them.
Roman Dunaev, the head of the Neptune expedition, confirmed to local media in Russia that it woould restart the operation next month. Crimea-born Aivazovsky, who died in 1900, was well-known for his depictions of naval life and was considered one of the greatest masters of marine art.
