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Sold for a record breaking £49.5 million at Sotheby's from a Private Collection, the magnificent painting of 'The Massacre of the Innocents' (probably about 1611-12) by Peter Paul Rubens (1577 - 1640) is being generously loaned to the National Gallery.
This is a unique opportunity to see this powerful early work alongside the National Gallery's own extensive Rubens collection, most notably the painting of 'Samson and Delilah'. It is the first time in well over 100 years that the two paintings will have hung together. David Jaffé Senior Curator at the National Gallery says 'This display captures Rubens's exuberance and genius, in an unprecedented show of fiery brushwork and spine-chilling imagery.'
'The Massacre of the Innocents' is the culmination of Rubens's Italian experience. It was painted in the years immediately following his return from Italy (1609-11). Rubens drew on the great Italian Renaissance painters including Raphael, Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese to depict one of the most brutal Biblical scenes: when king Herod ordered all new-born boys to be killed to prevent one of them becoming the Messiah. The whole gamut of human suffering - grief, pain and violence - is present in this work. It is an orchestrated drama, a seething mass of distress and brutality. The details of the painting are compelling: the almost palpable scratching on the executioner's cheek; and the bowed head of the mourning, faceless mother beside the heap of dead children. This is an ambitious and complex composition, something entirely new in Flemish art of the time. 'The Massacre of the Innocents' had, since the 18th century, been attributed to a late Rubens follower, Jan van der Hoecke. It was only recently identified by Sotheby's Director, George Gordon.
'The Massacre of the Innocents' represents an important missing link in the evolution of Rubens's style. Previously, his early work was known only through a handful of paintings, including the National Gallery's 'Samson and Delilah'. Completed within a few years of each other, the two paintings are remarkably similar. Using the same model in different poses, Delilah becomes the central woman in 'The Massacre', while Samson's muscle-bound body becomes the rippling back of the man with a knife. Both works also have highlights etched into the surface with a dry brush, displaying Rubens's signature style at this point in his career.
'The Massacre of the Innocents' is expected to be on display at the National Gallery for 3 years. Understanding of this period in Rubens's development will be enhanced by seeing the painting with 3 other works from the same era; the dramatic 'Decollation of Saint John' (c.1608-9) will be coming from a Private Collection in the USA for 11 months and two important paintings are being loaned from the Courtauld Gallery for 4 months: 'Cain Slaying Abel' (c.1608-9) and 'Moses and the Brazen Serpent' (1611).
Notes for Editors:
The National Gallery acquired Rubens's masterpiece 'Samson and Delilah' by auction at Christie's on 11 July 1980 for £2.53 million and put it on public display the same day.
'The Massacre of the Innocents' was bought on 10 July 2002 at Sotheby's for £49.5million by Lord Thomson. After exhibition at the National Gallery, the painting will be on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Canada.
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January 2003
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