Previously undisclosed photographs have revealed the extensive damage inflicted on a Johannes Vermeer masterpiece during a mysterious 1968 attack at the National Gallery in London. The newly released images show that an unknown vandal attempted to completely remove the face from "Lady Seated at a Virginal," one of only around 40 paintings created by the Dutch master during his lifetime.
The dramatic photographs show clear marks surrounding the woman's head in the painting, with a devastating slash running from her hair down to the bottom of her face, cutting directly between her eyes. The attack occurred on March 22, 1968, in the Dutch cabinet room at the National Gallery, but the full extent of the damage has been kept secret for decades.
At the time of the incident, the gallery's trustees made a strategic decision to downplay the severity of the attack. They publicly stated that no canvas had been removed and described the paint loss as minimal, which resulted in limited press coverage. According to The Art Newspaper, which first revealed the photographs, gallery officials deliberately chose not to release images of the damage to avoid giving the vandal attention and to prevent copycat incidents.
The attack was discovered in stages on that March day. A visitor first noticed the damage just after midday but assumed it had already been reported to staff. It wasn't until 1:00 PM that a second visitor alerted gallery personnel to the vandalism, prompting immediate action to remove the artwork from display.
The timing of the attack was particularly concerning due to security limitations at the gallery. Martin Davies, who served as the museum director at the time, later told trustees that he was "alarmed to notice that the attendant on duty, from his chair at one end of the room, could see only ten of the 25 pictures." He also noted that "the small number of visitors that morning was a further disturbing factor," explaining that "one important protection to the pictures is that plenty of visitors should be about in the rooms."
Gallery trustees believed the vandalism was connected to a poster campaign featuring the painting that had been launched in 1968. However, the specific motive behind targeting this particular Vermeer work remains unknown, and the perpetrator was never identified or caught.
The potential loss would have been catastrophic for art history. Had the vandal succeeded in removing the entirety of the woman's head, the painting would have been impossible to fully restore, likely resulting in its permanent removal from public display. This would have represented an irreplaceable loss, given that Vermeer created only a small number of works during his career, with some already lost or significantly damaged over the centuries.
Despite the severity of the initial damage, skilled restoration experts worked quickly to repair the painting. Just three weeks after the attack, on April 11, "Lady Seated at a Virginal" was returned to public display in a different room, this time protected by Perspex glass. The incident was notably absent from the gallery's annual report that year, reflecting the institution's desire to minimize publicity around the attack.
Today, the painting remains in the National Gallery's collection, and the damage from the 1968 attack is completely undetectable to visitors viewing the work with the naked eye. The successful restoration stands as a testament to the skill of art conservators and ensures that future generations can continue to appreciate this masterpiece by one of history's most celebrated painters.
