Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) und Werkstatt, zugeschrieben Virtus... Lot 249 A

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) und Werkstatt, zugeschrieben Virtus and Fortuna triumph over the lust of BACCHUSOIL on canvas. Doubled. 145 x 170 cm. In baroque bronzed frame. In the composition in the form of a rhombus the painter emphasizes the group of figures in a manner particularly favored by the incidence of light: they are Virtus with her helmet with a plume of feathers and Fortuna sitting diagonally in front of her on the globe of the world with an oar and waving velum. The two allegorical figures shake hands. They are presented with a laurel wreath and a sceptre by a genius with a metallic shimmering cornucopia filled with fruit, who in turn is surmounted by two winged putto beings. His knee, as well as that of Virtus, rests on the back of Bacchus, who completes the rhombus form, rendered in daring yet skilfully executed foreshortening, which we know well from other paintings by Rubens and his workshop - his drunken body lies prone on the floor, the cause of his drunkenness and the uncontrolled lust associated with it, namely a metallic antique drinking vessel, also lies on the floor at the lower edge of the picture, still clutched by his fingers. The group of figures of Virtus and Fortuna in particular is well known to us from a painting preserved in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires, Argentina (inv. no. 8629), which reproduces the two figures laterally reversed (see comparative illustration). Laterally correct, on the other hand, is a workshop work in the Musée Grobet Labadié in Marseille, which, however, shows a winged man and a woman in addition, who is trying to reach for the helmeted figure - Michael Jaffé called the painting an "allegory of good government", Erwin Panofsky recognized the two female main figures as Fortuna and Virtus. We know a similar iconography, for example, from an allegory with a view of the citadel in Antwerp from 1634 in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Besançon. Complicated foreshortened figures are not uncommon in the work of Rubens and his workshop, and are often used for figures suffering a dramatic fate, such as "The Bound Prometheus" ("Prometheus Bound") in the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Inv.No. W1950-3-1), whereby the figure adjacent to the viewing space - like Bacchus here - provides an optimal introduction to the viewing and sensory experience by the viewer. The painting offered here is of high quality and, with its fleshy physicality, cohesive skillful composition, and Rubensian coloring, demonstrates a close affinity to arguably the greatest North Alpine Baroque painter and his workshop. (†) Note: The right back figure is a slightly clockwise variant of the right back figure in "The Finding of Little Erichthonios" of 1616 by Peter Paul Rubens, which is kept in the collections of the Prince von und zu Liechtenstein, Vaduz/Vienna and at 218 x 317 cm is even larger than the quality painting offered here. With regard to the female figure with helmet, compare also the painting "Death and Victory of the Roman Consul Decius Mus" of 1616/1617. Rubens frequently used such in his paintings and varied gilded accents, feather attachments and attachment figures. Usually they are eagles, in the painting here a snake. The Virtus figures also compare well with regard to the bared breast and the globe motif, the lacing of the sandals by red ribbons and the red robe as a whole. Literature: Cf. Johann Kräftner (ed.), Vorbild Rubens. Liechtenstein Museum Wien, Munich 2004. (1291418) Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) and workshop, attributed VIRTUS AND FORTUNA TRIUMPH OVER THE LUST OF BACCHUSOil on canvas. Relined. 145 x 170 cm. In Baroque-style bronzed frame. The artist focuses on a group of illuminated figures in this rhombus-shaped composition. They are the goddesses Virtus with a plume helmet and Fortuna sitting on a globe diagonally in front of her with an oar and blowing cloth. The figural group of Virtus and Fortuna are particularly known from a painting held at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires, Argentina (inv. no. 8629) which shows the two figures inverted (see comparative ill.). Complicated, foreshortened figures are not uncommon in Rubens' oeuvre and his workshop and are often used for figures suffering a dramatic fate such as "Prometheus Bound" in the Philadelphia Museum of Art (inv. no. W1950-3-1), whereby the figure nearest the viewer - like Bacchus in this lot - offers an ideal introduction to the viewer's visual and sensory experience. The painting offered here is of high-quality and with its fleshy physicality, skilful closed composition, and its typical Rubens-like colouration, it shows a great proximity to the probably greatest north Alpine Baroque painter.