The Fallen Madonna by the fictional painter Van Klomp. My tribute to the classic BBC television series ‘Allo ‘Allo! As a great fan of the long-
After much fruitless searching on the internet, I decided to produce my own, based on the copy displayed at Longleat House.
Pixels: 3882 x 2322 pixels (25.8 MP)
Image Size: 32.9 x 19.6 inches (117 dpi)
Format: PDF (4.8 MB)
Price: €11
The ‘Allo ‘Allo! Series was set in the French town of Nouvion during the German occupation of France in the Second World War. Its focus was a small café in the town square run by René Artois. There were repeated attempts by the German occupiers to acquire the Fallen Madonna, a treasured piece of artwork, to provide a “nest egg” after the war. Among those who coveted it were the local German commandant Colonel Von Strohm and the Führer Adolf Hitler himself on whose behalf Herr Otto Flick of the Gestapo was instructed to secure it (but, of course, also wanted it for himself).
The painting was seen and hidden in various guises; it was often secreted, with suggestive possibilities, in a long knackwurst sausage. An incredible number of forgeries of the Fallen Madonna were made, mostly by Lieutenant Gruber and Monsieur LeClerc. These were naturally hidden in knackwurst sausages in René’s kitchen. The forgeries were subsequently destroyed in various ways (burned, blown up, minced, eaten by a dog, etc.).
So, this latest forgery has been produced by me (knackwurst sausage containers available on request!). Unlike the copies used in the TV series, which were cartoon-