MANNER OF SIR PETER PAUL RUBENS | The Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist as a Child

oil on canvas, a circle

The canvas is lined. A decorative image reads well, though some of the details on the background have sunken. A stretcher bar mark runs diagonally through the center of the canvas and is most noticeable on the blue mantel of the virgin and the torso of the child at right. Inspection under UV reveals some possible spots of repairs to old tears like the line that runs through the child's shoulder at far left, and the line on the virgin's cheek and neck. Further spots of retouches are scattered throughout. The painting can hang in its present condition. Offered in a gold giltwood frame with minor nicks on the corners.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.

The present lot, possibly done by a 19th Century follower of Rubens, combines motifs from several of his works. The Virgin and Child, for example, relate to the figures in 'The Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine' in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (inv. no. BF.1978.7).¹ Meanwhile, the representation of Saint John the Baptist holding the Child's arm references 'Christ and Saint John the Baptist as children with Two Saints' in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. no. 680).² 1. See M. Jaffé, Catalogo Completo Rubens, Milan 1989, reproduced p. 181, fig. 177.
2. Ibid, reproduced p. 241, fig. 494.