Old Master and Related Works Online Auction

March 31, 2016

LOT 28

Lot 28

After Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

After Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
Lot 28 Details
After Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) , Flemish

THE HOLY FAMILY WITH A PARROT

Oil on canvas
29.50" x 36.5" — 74.9 x 92.7 cm.

Estimate $3,000-$5,000

Realised: $2,400
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
After Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
  • After Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
  • After Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
Provenance:

Old auction date “Feb/2/59” in white chalk verso;
Private Collection, Toronto

Literature:

Eva van Zuien, “Rubens’s Holy Family with the Parrot: Examination and Restoration” from Rubens Bulletin, 2014

Het Gulden Cabinet, exh. cat., unpaginated

Note:

This work is a copy after the original by Rubens, now housed in Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (Antwerp, Belgium). The original oil on panel was donated by Rubens to the Guild of St Luke in Antwerp in 1633, to mark his appointment as dean. “Rather than producing an entirely new work, Rubens adapted an existing painting on panel – a Virgin and Child – by adding planks on the left and right to create a new composition.

The Holy Family is shown in a darkened portico, which looks out on the left over an expansive landscape. A colourful parrot perches on the base of the column in the middle ground, gripping a vine in its beak (Zuien 3).” “He added the parrot, vines, landscape and the figure of St Joseph to the painting some time around 1630 – a dating based on stylistic grounds. The painting was further enlarged over its full width at both the top and the bottom after Rubens’s death.

A variety of symbolic elements can be found in the painting. The Christ Child holds an apple in his right hand, referring to the Fall of Adam and Eve. The grapevine and the parrot are symbols of Mary’s role as intercessor and of the virgin birth. The parrot is a blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna).” (Het Gulden Cabinet)


CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 28
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About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.