Collect: American and European Art

Lot Note:

The present lot is based on the original painting of this subject by Peter Paul Rubens (circa 1620), which was destroyed by fire in 1836. Rubens's composition survives through preparatory sketches, drawings, and historic engravings, as well as surviving copies by artists like Victor Wolfvoet II. The Continence of Scipio is a famous historical anecdote about Roman general Scipio Africanus, who captured New Carthage in Spain and famously returned a beautiful captive woman to her fiancé, Allucius, along with her parents' ransom.

Framed: 34 1/2 x 43 x 2 1/2 in.
Moderate deposits of surface dirt and dust; canvas is lined; network of craquelures throughout; a few small brown stains in the lower center; under a significantly discolored varnish. Under UV light: the thick varnish fluoresces green, prohibiting viewing of any possible older inpainting; newer inpainting is visible along the upper, left, and right edges; a few small spots of inpainting scattered in the lower center; the face of a man along the center left edge appears to have been entirely repainted; a large area of inpainting in the lower left corner. Additional images available upon request.

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