Magistrate of Brussels

Last updated

Magistrate of Brussels
Van Dyck - Magistrate of Brussels - restored.jpg
The restored painting
Artist Anthony van Dyck
YearCirca 1634
Medium Oil on canvas
OwnerFather Jamie MacLeod
Close-up of part of the work, before restoration. Van Dyck - Magistrate of Brussels.jpg
Close-up of part of the work, before restoration.

Magistrate of Brussels is an unfinished oil painting or oil sketch by Anthony van Dyck, rediscovered in 2013 after being shown on episodes of the BBC television programme Antiques Roadshow .

The work was purchased for £400 from a Nantwich, Cheshire, antiques shop some years previously by Father Jamie MacLeod and hung in the Whaley Hall Ecumenical Retreat House, which he runs, at Whaley Bridge. [1] At one point, it fell from the wall there, smashing a CD player, but sustained no significant damage. The frame was labelled "Sir A van Dyck", but the picture was thought to be a copy. [1] He took the painting to a recording of Antiques Roadshow at Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire, in 2012.[ relevant? ] [1] [2]

MacLeod then took it to a second recording, at the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester. [3] There, it was recognised as potentially a van Dyck by presenter Fiona Bruce, [1] [4] who had been working with art historian Philip Mould on an episode of another BBC programme ( Fake or Fortune? ), which recently featured works by van Dyck. [5] Mould shared her suspicions and suggested that the work be treated by an expert restorer, in what he described as "the art equivalent of an [archaeological] excavation". [1] The painting was restored by Simon Gillespie, who used solvent to remove layers of overpainting, in a process that took the equivalent of three weeks of full-time work. [1] The removal of later painting returned what had appeared to be a finished portrait into a sketch with unfinished details. The ruff in particular was shown only in outline. [1] The work was then confirmed as van Dyck's by Christopher Brown, a noted authority on the painter. [1]

Grisaille
sketch of Magistrates of Brussels, in the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts
in Paris Van Dyck - Magistrates of Brussels - grisaille.jpg
Grisaille sketch of Magistrates of Brussels , in the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris

Mould thought that the painting was probably a preparatory sketch for Van Dyck's 1634 work Magistrates of Brussels , which was destroyed in the Bombardment of Brussels in 1695. [6] Its composition is known from a grisaille sketch, in the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, [7] which van Dyck prepared to show how he planned to lay out the piece. [1] Another three sketches of magistrates' heads for the same work, with the same red background as MacLeod's painting, [1] are known to exist: two in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, and a third which was sold to an unknown buyer. [8] A further work, in the Royal Collection, may also be from the same series. [8] Mould pointed out that the pose of the MacLeod portrait matched that of the rightmost individual in the grisaille sketch. [1]

Mould valued the sketch at between £300,000 and £400,000, [1] making it the most valuable painting identified in the 36-year history of the programme. [2] MacLeod announced his intention to sell it and to use the money to buy church bells, in commemoration of the centenary of the start of the First World War. [1] In May 2014, it was announced that the work would be auctioned at Christie's on 8 July. [9] Still, it failed to sell on that occasion. [10] It was later sold to a private collector. [11] In 2015, the painting was on loan to the Rubenshuis, and in 2016 it was exhibited at the Frick Collection in New York. [12] As of September 2018, it remained a part of the Rubenshuis exhibition. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony van Dyck</span> Flemish Baroque artist (1599–1641)

Sir Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy.

<i>Antiques Roadshow</i> British television programme

Antiques Roadshow is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979, based on a 1977 documentary programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiona Bruce</span> British journalist and TV presenter

Fiona Elizabeth Bruce is a British journalist, newsreader, and television presenter. She joined the BBC as a researcher for Panorama in 1989, and became the first female newsreader on the BBC News at Ten, as well as presenting many flagship programmes for the corporation, including BBC News at Six, Crimewatch, Real Story, Antiques Roadshow, and Fake or Fortune? Since 10 January 2019, she has been the presenter of the BBC One television programme Question Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grisaille</span> Painting technique

Grisaille is a painting executed entirely in shades of grey or of another neutral greyish colour. It is particularly used in large decorative schemes in imitation of sculpture. Many grisailles include a slightly wider colour range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whaley Bridge</span> Town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, England

Whaley Bridge is a town and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. It is situated on the River Goyt, 16 miles (26 km) south-east of Manchester, 7 miles (11 km) north of Buxton, 9 miles (14 km) north-east of Macclesfield and 28 miles (45 km) west of Sheffield. It had a population of 6,455 at the 2011 census, including Furness Vale, Horwich End, Bridgemont, Fernilee, Stoneheads and Taxal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oil sketch</span>

An oil sketch or oil study is an artwork made primarily in oil paint in preparation for a larger, finished work. Originally these were created as preparatory studies or modelli, especially so as to gain approval for the design of a larger commissioned painting. They were also used as designs for specialists in other media, such as printmaking or tapestry, to follow. Later they were produced as independent works, often with no thought of being expanded into a full-size painting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubenshuis</span> Home of Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) in Antwerp

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Mould</span> English art dealer and art historian (born 1960)

Philip Jonathan Clifford Mould is an English art dealer, London gallery owner, art historian, writer and broadcaster. He has made a number of major art discoveries, including works of Thomas Gainsborough, Anthony Van Dyck and Thomas Lawrence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justus van Egmont</span> Portrait painter (1601–1674)

Justus van Egmont or Joost van Egmont was a painter and a tapestry designer during the 17th century. After training in Antwerp with Gaspar van den Hoecke and working with Anthony van Dyck, van Egmont also worked in Peter Paul Rubens' workshop. He moved to France in 1628 where he was a court painter for the House of Orléans. In France he helped to found the Académie de peinture et de sculpture. He later returned to Flanders where he worked in Antwerp and Brussels. He is mainly known for his portrait paintings, although he also painted some history subjects, and produced designs for five different tapestry series.

<i>Antiques Roadshow</i> (American TV program) American television program

Antiques Roadshow is an American television program broadcast on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television stations. The program features local antiques owners who bring in items to be appraised by experts. Provenance, history, and value of the items are discussed. Based on the original British Antiques Roadshow, which premiered in 1979, the American version first aired in 1997. When taping locations are decided, they are announced on the program's website raising the profile of various small to mid-size cities, such as Billings, Montana; Biloxi, Mississippi; Bismarck, North Dakota; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Hot Springs, Arkansas; and Rapid City, South Dakota. Antiques Roadshow has been nominated 16 times for a Primetime Emmy.

<i>Fake or Fortune?</i> Television series on artwork provenance

Fake or Fortune? is a BBC One documentary television series which examines the provenance and attribution of notable artworks. Since the first series aired in 2011, Fake or Fortune? has drawn audiences of up to 5 million viewers in the UK, the highest for an arts show in that country.

<i>Portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria, as St Catherine</i> Painting by Sir Anthony van Dyck

Portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria, as St Catherine is a painting by Sir Anthony van Dyck.

Despite its size, Belgium has a long and distinguished artistic tradition that goes back to the Middle Ages, considerably pre-dating the foundation of the current state in 1830. Art from the areas making up modern Belgium is called in English Netherlandish up to the separation with the Netherlands from 1570 on, and Flemish until the 18th century.

<i>Portrait of Olivia Porter</i> Painting by Anthony van Dyck

The Portrait of Olivia Porter is an oil painting on canvas by Anthony van Dyck, showing Olivia, Lady Porter, the wife of Sir Endymion Porter, daughter of John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Bramfield, and niece of the Duke of Buckingham, a zealous Roman Catholic and a lady in waiting to Henrietta Maria of France, queen consort to Charles I of England. It was discovered on the Your Paintings website by Bendor Grosvenor after being documented by the Public Catalogue Foundation.

<i>Magistrates of Brussels</i>

Magistrates of Brussels was a 1634-35 oil painting by Anthony van Dyck. It was destroyed in the French bombardment of Brussels in 1695. Its composition is known from a grisaille sketch in the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, which Van Dyck prepared to show how he planned to lay out the work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bendor Grosvenor</span> British art historian

Bendor Gerard Robert Grosvenor is a British art historian, writer and former art dealer. He is known for discovering a number of important lost artworks by Old Master artists, including Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Claude Lorrain and Peter Brueghel the Younger. As a dealer he specialised in Old Masters, with a particular interest in Anthony van Dyck.

<i>The Shepherd Paris</i> (van Dyck)

The Shepherd Paris is a c.1628 painting by the Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck, dating to just after the artist's return from Italy and showing the strong influence of Titian. It shows Paris during the Judgement of Paris, holding the golden apple he has been ordered to give to the most beautiful of three goddesses - unusually the artist focuses on Paris and does not show the goddesses themselves.

<i>Self-Portrait with a Sunflower</i> 1632–1633 painting by Anthony van Dyck

Self-Portrait with a Sunflower is a self-portrait by Anthony van Dyck, a Flemish Baroque artist from Antwerp, Spanish Netherlands. The oil on canvas is thought to have been painted between the years 1632 and 1633. Produced at the height of his fame, Anthony van Dyck served as "principal Paynter in order to their Majesties" in the court of Charles I of England whilst working on this self-portrait. The symbolism behind the sunflower and gold chain have been a point of contention amongst various art historians. His successful ventures in the southern part of the Netherlands and Italy propelled him into a career as court painter and made him a favourite of King Charles I and his court. Van Dyck's devotion for capturing the likeness of his models gave him authority over the world of portraiture long after his death in 1641. With such a long and storied career in art, his portrait technique evolved into what is referred to as his Late English period as seen in Self-Portrait with a Sunflower. This work is now in the private collection of the Duke of Westminster, housed at Eaton Hall in Cheshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Rollo Gillespie</span> British fine art conservator and restorer

Simon Rollo Gillespie is a British conservator-restorer of fine art, and an art historian. He is known particularly for his work with Early British and Tudor portraits, although his practice extends across all periods from early paintings to contemporary artworks. Gillespie has been restoring art since 1978, and he appears frequently on the BBC Four series Britain's Lost Masterpieces, having previously appeared on the BBC1 art programme Fake or Fortune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lost portrait of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham</span> Painting by Peter Paul Rubens

The "lost portrait" of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham is a portrait of English courtier George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. It was painted around 1625 by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Antiques Roadshow Retrospective". Antiques Roadshow. Series 36. Episode 11. 29 December 2013. BBC . Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Antiques Roadshow portrait revealed to be by Anthony Van Dyck". BBC Online . 29 December 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  3. "Antiques Roadshow Cirencester 1". Antiques Roadshow. Series 36. Episode 7. 3 December 2013. BBC . Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  4. "Fiona Bruce's Antiques Roadshow 'hunch' leads to discovery of lost". The Independent. 29 December 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  5. "Van Dyck: What Lies Beneath". Fake or Fortune?. Series 2. Episode 3. 30 September 2012. BBC. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  6. Withnall, Adam (29 December 2013). "Fiona Bruce's Antiques Roadshow 'hunch' leads to discovery of lost £400,000 Van Dyck masterpiece". The Independent . Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  7. "A new Van Dyck discovery at the Royal Collection – Art History News – by Bendor Grosvenor". Art History news. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  8. 1 2 Grosvenor, Bendor. "A Study for the Head of a Magistrate of Brussels". Artnet. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  9. "Antiques Roadshow Van Dyck To Go Under The Hammer At Christie's". Artlyst. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  10. "Antiques Roadshow Van Dyck painting fails to sell at auction". BBC News. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Anthony van Dyck | Rubenshuis".
  12. "Sketch of a Brussels Magistrate by Anthony van Dyck on long term loan to the Rubenshuis". 17 November 2015.