The Christ on the Cross attributed to Pieter Paul Rubens was sold Nov. 30 at auction by Osenat at the Hôtel des Ventes du Château in Versailles for more than 2.9 million euros, registering one of the most notable bargains of the Tableaux anciens sale season. The painting, made around 1614-1615, was discovered in France among the possessions of a recent owner of a Parisian villa. The news had been anticipated by the France Press agency, AFP(we reported on it here), by Jean-Pierre Osenat, director of the auction house, who pointed out that it is a work by Rubens at the height of his artistic production. “It is the beginning of Baroque painting,” Osenat said, highlighting the work’s historical significance. The Crucifixion represents for the painter, a Protestant convert to Catholicism, a recurring theme and a form of profession of faith.
The painting’s authentication was confirmed by art historian Nils Büttner, president of the Centrum Rubenianum in Antwerp and a leading Rubens expert, through careful analysis of stylistic and technical characteristics. The medium-sized work (105.5 by 72.5 centimeters) underwent X-ray and pigment studies, confirming its consistency with Flemish production. According to Büttner, the painting formerly belonged to the 19th-century French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau before coming to the owners of the Paris villa where it was found. Although long unnoticed, the painting was known through engravings that documented its existence to scholars. Büttner announced to Artnet magazine that the work will be included in the forthcoming Addenda and Corrigenda of the catalog raisonné of Rubens, emphasizing how surprising it is that a painting of such importance has remained off the radar of experts for so long. Stylistically, Christ is depicted isolated, illuminated against a dark, threatening sky. His upper body arches forward, with a painful realism that highlights the weight of the cross. Against the rocky backdrop of Golgotha, overgrown with vegetation, we catch a glimpse of Jerusalem illuminated under the effect of a thunderstorm. The composition highlights Rubens’ mastery of Baroque technique and ability to render drama and emotional depth through the light and tension of the bodies.
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| Rubens found in France auctioned for over 2.9 million euros |
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