Professional Documents
Culture Documents
10 July 2014
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» The Samson and Delilah ink sketch – cutting Rubens to the ... http://artwatch.org.uk/the-samson-and-delilah-ink-sketch-cutt...
the ink drawing and the oil sketch. All three works, which are
dated to 1609-10, have unusual and anomalous features –
and all appeared only in the 20th century. The modello
arrived last without name or history in 1966 and was
upgraded by Christie’s to Rubens even though it is painted
on a soft wood and not the oak which Rubens invariably
used.
Dr Pisarek felt that the year of launch for the picture now in
the National Gallery might be signicant. As she put it:
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contemporary copies that were made of the original Rubens either a preliminary sketch for the National Gallery Samson
and Delilah painting or a record of it made afterwards.
painting show the foot, as painted by Rubens, to have been
both whole and set well within the right-hand edge of the
painting (see Figs. 4, 5 and 6). It is hard to see on what
grounds this testimony might be disregarded: the first copy,
an engraving (see Fig. 14), was made in c 1613 and very
possibly under Rubens’ instruction. The second was a
painting in oil commissioned by Rockox to show off his
collection of paintings in the grand salon of his home (see
Figs. 6 and 13). Is it conceivable that he – and Rubens, who
was still alive – would have permitted a man famous for the
accuracy of his records, to make a gratuitous, out-of-
character “improvement” to the Rubens painting that
occupied pride of place above the mantelpiece? Because of
the inked box and the trimmed sheet it is not possible to
determine whether the drawing’s author might originally
have drawn the foot whole.
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5 de 9 13/3/16 12:56
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Update:
1
166..0
000,, 1
100--0
077--1
144.. The editor of Jackdaw, David Lee, writes
to point out that, R W P de Vries, the person who sold the
Samson and Delilah ink sketch produces this note, when
Googled:
“Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries Jr. (Amsterdam , March 3,
1874 – Hilversum , 27 May 1953 ) was a Dutch artist. He was
a painter , illustrator , book cover designer , and made
??etchings and woodcuts . He was a student at the State
Normal School in Amsterdam, obtained his MO drawing.
From 1913 to 1935 he was a teacher at a secondary school in
Hilversum.”
The Jackdaw’s distinguished editor reflects: “An artist and
secondary school teacher who flogs drawings. Not exactly
what you’d expect…” No, indeed, but precisely the kind of
thing about which we have learned not to expect to be given
information.
Michael Daley
6 de 9 13/3/16 12:56
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7 de 9 13/3/16 12:56
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