The Colossus or The Panic

When writing the description of one of the two missing Goya miniatures (the Córdoba Goya), this is the image I had uppermost in mind, combined with a recollection of John 'Mad' Martin's The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The untitled painting on the left, often referred to as The Colossus or The Panic, is now not thought to have been painted by Goya.
(If you click on the images you'll be able to see much more detail)

You can read the story behind the re-attribution at the Times Online here. There's also a follow up opinion piece here, and Ben Macintyre shares his take on the issue of authorship here. All interesting stuff.

I don't why the story took so long to appear in the UK, I recall reading about the re-attribution in the Spanish press in, I think, May 2008 -- a good six or seven months before mention in The Times.

I visited the Prado a few weeks after the announcement, in July 2008. The painting was still on view and still atrributed to Goya, but, as the attendant patiently explained, was in the process of being re-appraised.

And here's John 'Mad' Martin's The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, which can be viewed at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle.