| Portrait of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 | Pollok House, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Identifiers | Art UK artwork ID: george-villiers-15921628-1st-duke-of-buckingham-84681 |
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 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
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ Xinhua (26 September 2017). "Rubens' long-lost masterpiece exhibited in gallery as copy". China Daily.
This page was last edited on 19 August 2023, at 02:31