The National Gallery lost its Ter Brugghen “Bagpiper in Profile” in a restitution deaccessioning. The museum seems to have been a bidder at Sotheby’s for the work but lost out to dealer Johnny Van Haeften. Yesterday, the New York Times confirmed that the National Gallery has made a deal with Van Haeften. Considering the new price, and the anticipation of a what a cleaning might have revealed, the National Gallery might think about making even further investment in its own work.

National Gallery Buys Dutch Master Painting (The New York Times)