PETRUS-JOSEPHUS WITDOECK (1803-1873) Rubens visiting Xaverius Collantes, 1870. Canvas. Signed and dated 'P.J. Witdoeck pinx(i)t 1870. Period gilt frame. This painting depicts a scene from Rubens' biography ‘P.-P. Rubens suivie du catalogue général et raisonné de ses tableaux, esquisses dessins et vignettes’, written by André van Hasselt in 1840. Van Hasselt writes how Rubens coincidentally meets the Spanish prior Xavier Collantes on one of his travels to Spain as a diplomat. In 1628 Rubens travelled to the court of Philips IV in Madrid to negotiate a truce between Spain and England. Visiting a lot of artists and Spanish nobility, Rubens was also invited by the duke Juan of Braganza, the later king Juan IV of Portugal, to visit his hunting lodge in Villa-Viciosa. With the consent of Philips IV, Rubens departed with a large delegation of Spanish and Flemish representatives. Not having expected such a large delegation of visitors, the duke changes his mind and cancelled the visit at the very last moment. Now Rubens and his companions are stranded somewhere in between Madrid and Villa-Viciosa at dusk. Looking for a place to spend the night, they knock on the door of a monastery. The monks, living under rules of strict austerity, are willing to accommodate them and offer several rooms. After a peaceful night, Rubens and his comrades attend the morning mass before continuing their journey. When the ceremony is done, Rubens takes a quick look at the paintings hanging on the wall of the chapel. Suddenly, he notices a piece of outstanding quality. The use of colour, the composition and the technique are exquisite and resemble his own style. Unable to find a signature, he asks a priest whether he knows who painted the masterpiece. The priest shrugs and attends to his prior. The old prior answers 'Sir, the one who has painted this canvas, does not belong to this world any more.' Rubens urges that the painting is absolutely outstanding, and must be painted only recently during the last ten years. He adds that a painter like himself, Peter Paul Rubens, knows such things. The prior is clearly impressed by the unveiled identity of the visitor asking him about the painting in his chapel. He asks 'Are you Peter Paul Rubens?'. He makes a little prayer and adds: 'Sir Rubens, I have already told you, the painter of this canvas does not belong to this world any more. He is dead for worldly causes such as painting. He is a monk now.' - 'A monk?', Rubens replies, 'please tell me his name and the name of the place where he can be found. God does not bless a person with such a talent to stay hidden behind monastery walls.' Rubens words cleary move the prior. He doubts and answers 'He does not belong to this world any more'. At that same moment, the prior faints and falls to the ground. One year later the prior will die. At his tombstone, his name is written: Xaverius Collantes. In his biography, André van Hasselt suggests that the prior has painted the outstanding piece in the chapel. In the painting here in auction, we see the prior making a gesture of denial while Rubens look at him with an interrogatory glance. Dimensions: 115 x 90 cm (146 x 120 cm)
PETRUS-JOSEPHUS WITDOECK (1803-1873) Rubens visiting Xaverius Collantes, 1870. Canvas. Signed and dated 'P.J. Witdoeck pinx(i)t 1870. Period gilt frame. This painting depicts a scene from Rubens' biography ‘P.-P. Rubens suivie du catalogue général et raisonné de ses tableaux, esquisses dessins et vignettes’, written by André van Hasselt in 1840. Van Hasselt writes how Rubens coincidentally meets the Spanish prior Xavier Collantes on one of his travels to Spain as a diplomat. In 1628 Rubens travelled to the court of Philips IV in Madrid to negotiate a truce between Spain and England. Visiting a lot of artists and Spanish nobility, Rubens was also invited by the duke Juan of Braganza, the later king Juan IV of Portugal, to visit his hunting lodge in Villa-Viciosa. With the consent of Philips IV, Rubens departed with a large delegation of Spanish and Flemish representatives. Not having expected such a large delegation of visitors, the duke changes his mind and cancelled the visit at the very last moment. Now Rubens and his companions are stranded somewhere in between Madrid and Villa-Viciosa at dusk. Looking for a place to spend the night, they knock on the door of a monastery. The monks, living under rules of strict austerity, are willing to accommodate them and offer several rooms. After a peaceful night, Rubens and his comrades attend the morning mass before continuing their journey. When the ceremony is done, Rubens takes a quick look at the paintings hanging on the wall of the chapel. Suddenly, he notices a piece of outstanding quality. The use of colour, the composition and the technique are exquisite and resemble his own style. Unable to find a signature, he asks a priest whether he knows who painted the masterpiece. The priest shrugs and attends to his prior. The old prior answers 'Sir, the one who has painted this canvas, does not belong to this world any more.' Rubens urges that the painting is absolutely outstanding, and must be painted only recently during the last ten years. He adds that a painter like himself, Peter Paul Rubens, knows such things. The prior is clearly impressed by the unveiled identity of the visitor asking him about the painting in his chapel. He asks 'Are you Peter Paul Rubens?'. He makes a little prayer and adds: 'Sir Rubens, I have already told you, the painter of this canvas does not belong to this world any more. He is dead for worldly causes such as painting. He is a monk now.' - 'A monk?', Rubens replies, 'please tell me his name and the name of the place where he can be found. God does not bless a person with such a talent to stay hidden behind monastery walls.' Rubens words cleary move the prior. He doubts and answers 'He does not belong to this world any more'. At that same moment, the prior faints and falls to the ground. One year later the prior will die. At his tombstone, his name is written: Xaverius Collantes. In his biography, André van Hasselt suggests that the prior has painted the outstanding piece in the chapel. In the painting here in auction, we see the prior making a gesture of denial while Rubens look at him with an interrogatory glance. Dimensions: 115 x 90 cm (146 x 120 cm)
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
