Lost portrait of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
| Portrait of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Artist | Peter Paul Rubens  |
| Year | c. 1625 |
| Medium | Oil paint on panel |
| Dimensions | 60.9 cm (24.0 in) × 47.3 cm (18.6 in) |
| Location |
|
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 — the same year that King James VI and I, who had counted Buckingham as his intimate favourite, died — by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens.
In 2017, the oil painting was examined by art historian Bendor Grosvenor at Pollok House, the former ancestral home of the Stirling-Maxwell family at Pollok Country Park in Glasgow, Scotland.[1] Prior to this examination, the portrait was thought to be a mere copy of a Rubens painting that had been lost.[2]
Once layers of old varnish and overpainting were removed over a period of two months by art conservator Simon Rollo Gillespie, the portrait was revealed to be the original work by Rubens himself.[1][3] Ben van Beneden, the director of Antwerp's Rubenshuis, confirmed the authenticity of the attribution.[1]
The portrait's examination, background research and restoration process were documented by the BBC Four television series Britain's Lost Masterpieces (series 2, episode 1), which aired in September 2017.
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Slawson, Nicola (24 September 2017). "Lost Rubens portrait of James I's 'lover' is rediscovered in Glasgow". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ↑ Latil, Lucas (27 September 2017). "Un Rubens, perdu depuis 400 ans, aurait été retrouvé en Écosse". Le Figaro.
- ↑ "Rubens' Duke of Buckingham 'found' after 400 years". BBC. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.