A bankrupt British socialite is the proprietor of a centuries-old portrait on the centre of a excessive courtroom authorized dispute, a choose has dominated.
James Stunt and his father, Geoffrey Stunt, had been in a authorized row with the trustees of James’s chapter over the Anthony Van Dyck portray The Cheeke Sisters.
At a trial at London’s Rolls Constructing earlier in March, barristers for the trustees claimed that James stunt owned the portrait, however he and his father claimed that the latter purchased the art work in 2013 for £600,000.
In a ruling on Friday, the insolvency and firms courtroom choose Clive Jones dismissed the Stunt claims, ruling that the portray ought to be classed as belonging to James for the needs of his chapter.
He stated: “In my judgment on the steadiness of likelihood, Mr James Stunt was the contracting purchaser. He didn’t maintain the helpful curiosity on belief for his father. The truth that Mr Geoffrey Stunt paid by cheque was considered when reaching that conclusion. The portray types a part of the chapter property.”
James Stunt was beforehand married to Petra Ecclestone, the daughter of the previous Method One boss Bernie Ecclestone. They divorced in 2017. Stunt was declared bankrupt in June 2019.
The three-day trial heard from Joseph Curl KC, representing the trustees, that James Stunt bought the portray, which is now valued at as much as £4m, however his father later claimed possession of it.
Curl stated this represented a “vital injustice” to the trustees and that the portray ought to be thought of a part of the chapter property. He informed the courtroom that the artwork firm that offered the portray believed James Stunt “turned and was all the time supposed to be the proprietor of the portray”.
Giving proof, James stated that regardless of initially displaying an “curiosity” within the portray, he declined to purchase it as he was “reasonably saturated by Van Dycks on the time”, estimating he had bought about 40 works by the artist in his life. As a substitute, the deal to purchase the art work was “absolutely negotiated” by Geoffrey, who owned the merchandise, James stated.
Lee Schama, representing Geoffrey Stunt, informed the courtroom that the art work was purchased “by and for” him. However in his judgment, Jones stated that whereas the cash used to pay for the portray was drawn on Geoffrey’s account, James was in a position to make use of his father’s financial institution card for “very substantial sums” and that Geoffrey was a “beneficiant, supportive father who assisted his son by way of loans”.
He stated the pair had did not exhibit the art work was not supposed for James.
The choose stated: “The truth that he [Geoffrey] made loans wouldn’t imply this might not be a private funding however the level is that he merely has not superior a case to rebut the presumption by addressing any of those issues.”
The Cheeke Sisters: Essex, Countess of Manchester and Anne, Woman Wealthy was painted in about 1640 and is one in all a small assortment of double portraits painted by Van Dyck. The artist was born in modern-day Belgium and got here to work in England in 1632 on the invitation of King Charles I.
