An auction that will go down in the history of the Polish art market will be held on 17 March 2022 in Warsaw. The 17th-century Portrait of a Lady by Peter Paul Rubens will go under the hammer at DESA Unicum, the leading auction house in Central and Eastern Europe. With an estimate of PLN 18–24 million (EUR 3,9–4,8 million), this distinguished canvas by the Baroque master may become the most expensive work of art ever sold in Poland, and is expected to attract the attention of art collectors not only from the region, but also from around the world. Portrait of a Lady, maintained for four centuries in the collections of European aristocrats, financiers and well-known collectors, will be shown publicly for the first time since 1965 at the exhibition preceding the auction.
The artwork executed in Rubens's studio in Antwerp by the artist with the participation of the workshop circa 1620-1625.
This lot has been imported from outside of the EU, is under the temporary admission and to export it no licence is required.
oil/canvas, 98 x 73.8 cm
on the stretcher inscribed in ink: 'RUBENS' Wife, by RUBENS | THE CHANDOS PORTRAIT | PURCHASED AT THE DUKE OF Buckingham's SALE | AT STOWE', an exhibition label of Galerie Charpentier in Paris, an inventory number: 'NYAE896' and renovator's studio label
The artwork executed in Rubens's studio in Antwerp by the artist with the participation of the workshop circa 1620-1625.
This lot has been imported from outside of the EU, is under the temporary admission and to export it no licence is required.
ID: 108449
possibly in Peter Paul Rubens's collection in Antwerp until sold in 1626-1627 to George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham with other paintings and antiquities through the agents Balthasar Gerbier and Michel Le Blond
possibly in George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham's collection in York House, London listed in the 1635 inventory as ‘Ruben, A Portugese Lady'
Sir Peter Lely's collection before and in 1682 as ‘The Picture of Reubens Wife by Rubens', Covent Garden, London
sold on 18 April 1682 at Sir Peter Lely's deceased sale, Richard Tomson auction, Covent Garden, London as no. 55. ‘Rubens, Rubens's wife, 3ft. 8 x 2ft. 7'
Sir Richard Temple of Stowe House, Stowe, 3rd Baronet (1634–1697) in 1682 and then by descent to
Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham (1675–1749), 4th Baronet, later Baron Cobham and finally Viscount Cobham
Richard Grenville-Temple (1711–1779), 2nd Earl Temple
George Nugent-Temple-Grenville (1753–1813), 1st Marquess of Buckingham
Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville (1776-1839), 2nd Marquess of Buckingham, later 1st Duke of Buckingham & Chandos
Richard Plantagenet Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville (1797-1861), 2nd Duke of Buckingham & Chandos sold at the Duke of Buckingham & Chandos sale at Stowe House on 14 Sept 1848 at Christie, Manson & Woods as lot no. 337. ‘Helena Forman. Rubens. A very fine portrait of Rubens' favourite wife'
Robert Roe (1793-1880) (picture dealer) Cambridge by 1848 (as a Rubens)
William Warburton Pearce (1814-1872) (picture dealer) London by 1872 (as Rubens)
sold at William W. Pearce's estate sale, Phillips Son & Neale, London, 30 April, 1872, as lot 385. ‘Rubens, A Portrait of Eleanor Brand in a rich dress'
Wynne Ellis (1790-1875) at his house at 30 Cadogan Place, London, 1872 –1876
sold at his deceased sale on 27 May 1876 at Christie, Manson & Woods, London as ‘Portrait of his wife, by Rubens'
Sir Joseph Russell Bailey, later 1st Baron Glanusk (1840 –1906) by 1876
Edward Charles Baring, 1st Lord Revelstoke (1828 –1897) by 1893
sold at Lord Revelstoke sale on 3 June 1893 at Christie, Manson & Woods, London as ‘Rubens, Portrait of his wife', 38 1 by 29 in., from Stowe, from the Wynn Ellis Collection'
probably Martin Henry Colnaghi (1821-1908), London 1893-
Jules Porges (1839-1921) collection Paris, France by 1910 as ‘Rubens, Isabelle Brandt'
possibly in Von Moltke family collection, Copenhagen, Denmark, -1937-1940 (as Rubens)
Jean Néger (picture dealer), Paris -1950 (as Rubens)
H.H. Prince Mohammed Ali Ibrahim of Egypt, Paris (from 1950; as Rubens) and then by descent
H.H. Princess Hanzade Ibrahim (his wife)
‘Al-Amir' Ahmed Rifaat Mohamed Ali Ibrahim (until 2011)
private collection, London, 2012-2018
heirs of a private collection in London
Randall Davies, An Inventory of the Duke of Buckingham's Pictures, etc., at York House in 1635, "The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs", Vol. 10, No. 48, London 1907, p. 379 as ‘Ruben. A Portugese Lady'
A List of Sir Peter Lely's Great Collection of Pictures, and other Rarities, as Statues, Bronzes, & c. The Pictures being all of the most Eminent Italian, and other Masters, in good Condition, and well Preserved, with Gilt Frames, to be Sold by way of Outcry, upon the Eighteenth day of April 1682 Old Stile, Richard Tomson auction, sale at Sir Peter Lely's house at the Great Piazza, Covent Garden, London on 18 April 1682 as ‘Rubens, The Picture of Reubens Wife, 3 ft. 8 in. x 2ft. 7 in.'
Brian Fairfax, A Catalogue of the curious collection of pictures of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham [...], also, a catalogue of Sir Peter Lely's capital collection of 15 pictures, statues, bronzes, &c. with the exact measures of the pictures in both collections, W. Bathoe, (ed.) London, 1758, p. 44, as no. 55. ‘Rubens, Rubens's wife, 3ft. 8' x 2ft. 7')
W. Fairchild et al., Stowe, A Description of the Magnificent House and Gardens of the Right Honourable Richard, Earl Temple, Viscount and Baron Cobham, 1763, p. 9, in the Dressing-room, ‘over one door A Portrait of Rubens's wife, by Rubens'
The new Oxford guide, or Companion through the University: exhibiting every particular worthy the observation of the curious in each of the public buildings, colleges, halls. Oxford 1765, p.113 as ‘A Portrait of Rubens's wife, by Rubens' (Stowe House)
"The London magazine, or Gentleman's monthly intelligencer" 1771, V. 40, p. 459, described in the Private Drawing-Room at Stowe House as ‘Rubens, his first wife'
B. Seeley, Stowe, a Description of the Magnificent House and Gardens of the Right…, 1780, p. 37, in the State Drawing-Room as ‘A Portrait of Rubens's wife, by Rubens'
B. Seeley, Stowe, a description of the house and gardens of the most noble and puissant prince, Richard Grenville Nugent Chandos Temple, Marquess of Buckingham, 1817, p. 46, in the Anti-Library as ‘Helena Forman (Rubens's wife) by Rubens'
J. & W. Robins, George Lipscomb, The History and Antiquities of the County of Buckingham, Vol. 3, 1847, p. 97, as ‘Helena Forman, Rubens's Wife, by Rubens'.
Henry Rumsey Forster, Stowe catalogue, priced and annotated, Christie, Manson & Woods, London 1848, p. 180, as no. 337. ‘Helena Forman (Rubens) - A very fine portrait of Rubens' favourite wife'
"Temple Bar – A London Magazine for Town and Country Readers" 1874, Vol. 41, p. 107 (as a Rubens)
Louis Dumont-Wilden, ‘Exposition de l'Art Belge au XVIIe siecle a Bruxelles', "Les Arts: revue mensuelle des musées, collections, expositions" 1910, No. 106, ill. full-page, p. 3, as ‘Rubens, Isabelle Brandt'
Exposition d'art ancien; l'art belge au XVIIe siecle, Bruxelles, juin-novembre 1910
Catalogue sommaire des envois a la date du 9 juin 1910.
Wallace L. Crowdy, H. Frantz, O. M. Heuffer, The Spinola Rubens: an appreciation, Edinburgh, 1911, p. 15 ‘the extremely fine and famous Portrait of Isabella Brandt, which belongs to M. Jules Porges of Paris'
"Rassegna d'Arte" 1911, no. 3, p. 49, ill., as ‘Rubens, Isabella Brandt, Collezione Porges, Parigi'
"L'Art et les artistes" 1911, V. XIII, p. 244
Camille Tulpinck, Les arts anciens de Flandre, Bruges, 1912, p. 19 as a Rubens ‘sa premiere femme, Isabelle Brant (collection Jules Porges, Paris)'
Ludwig Burchard, “Nachträge", in: G. Glück, Rubens, Van Dyck und ihr Kreis, Wien 1933, p. 38 (as after Rubens, Portrait of Isabella Brant)
Leo van Puyvelde, ‘Les Portraits des Femmes de Rubens', La Revue de l'art ancien et moderne, 1937, Vol. LXXI, p. 3
Editorial: Sir Peter Lely's Collection, "The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs" 1943, 83 (485), p. 187 as ‘Rubens, The Picture of Reubens Wife, 3 ft. 8 in. x 2ft. 7 in.'
Cent Portraits de Femmes, ou, pour qui peignez-vou?, "Les Lettres françaises" 1950, (16 January, ill.)
"Elle" Magazine, 25 November 1957, ill.
Leo van Puyvelde (ed.), Le siecle de Rubens (exh. cat.), Brussels, 1965, p. 197, no. 207, (ill.) as ‘Rubens 207. Portrait d'Isabelle Brandt (...)'
Jan Kelch, Peter Paul Rubens. Kritischer Katalog der Gemälde im Besitz der Gemäldegalerie Berlin, Berlin 1978, p. 16 (as studio of Rubens, Portrait of Isabella Brant)
Justus Müller Hofstede, Höfische Und Bürgerlische Damenporträts - Anmerkungen Zu Rubens' Antwerpener Bildnismalerei 1609-1620, Munich 1983, p. 321, n. 66 (as studio of Rubens)
John Ingamells, The Wallace Collection: catalogue of pictures, London 1985, pp. 333, 335, n.11 (as ‘Portrait of Isabella Brant')
Michael Jaffé, Rubens, Catalogo Completo, Milan, 1989, p. 262 as no. 654 (as Ruben's studio, Portrait of Isabella Brant)
Katlijne Van der Stighelen and Hans Vlieghe, Portraits of Unidentified and Newly Identified Sitters Painted in Antwerp, Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard, V. XIX (2), 2021, pp. 177-178 as "A Woman, Turned to the Left" (one of three variants by Ruben's workshop)
Exposition d'art ancien; l'art belge au XVIIe siecle, Musées Royaux de Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, 1910, no. 312 as ‘Rubens, Portrait d'Isabelle Brandt, premiere femme de Rubens'
Cents portraits de femmes du 15eme siecle a nos jours, Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 1950, as Rubens
Le siecle de Rubens, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, 15 października - 12 grudnia 1965, no. 207 as ‘Rubens, Portrait d'Isabelle Brandt'
The presentation of the "Portrait of a Lady" by Peter Paul Rubens is an extraordinary event in the context of the global art market. The painting, exhibited in public in 1965 for the last time, in its 400-year history belonged to the collection of eminent European aristocrats, magnates and the royal family, and was the object of interest to renowned British and French art dealers.
Sometimes referred to as ‘The Chandos Rubens' or ‘The Stowe Rubens', this exquisite work was customarily described as a portrait of Rubens' first wife, Isabella Brant (1591-1626). The specific type of jewellery depicted in the portrait – a brooch that was in fashion in 17th-century Europe - may indicate a connection between the portrayed model, Portugal as well as with the Duarte jewellers' family of Antwerp.
The "Portrait of a Lady", created by the master with the participation of the workshop, comes from the period of the greatest prosperity of his Antwerpian studio. Rubens, an artist and a diplomat, gained considerable fame in 17th-century Europe. " Soon after its creation the "Portrait of a Lady”, found its way from Antwerp to the British Isles. Its owner became Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680), a leading English painter of 17th century, a learner of Anton van Dyck and a collector. For over 160 years it remained in one of the most magnificent aristocratic mansions in modern England called the Stowe House. In the following decades the “Portrait of a Lady” was passed from one dealer’s hand to another, as Wynne Ellis or Martin Colnaghi, to be eventually acquired to a Parisian collection of Jules Porgès (1839-1921) - a mining tycoon and an avid collector of precious stones and Dutch and Flemish masters.
Shown at two exhibitions dedicated to Rubens and the art of the 17th-century, one taking place in 1910 and another in 1965, the "Portrait of a Lady" disappeared for several decades in the collection of the Egyptian royal family, which after the 1952 revolution permanently settled down in Paris. The readers of „Elle” magazine could admire the painting in one of 1957 issues in which „Portrait of a Lady” is visible hanging in an apartment of Prince Mohammed Ali Ibrahim and Princess Hanzade. The painting, known to connoisseurs and researchers from some early historical sources, has recently been kept hidden in a private collection. The technological research carried out between 2019 and 2020 revealed, among others, that the artist made changes to the composition, introducing the so-called pentimenti. The restoration works also brought back the former splendour of the master’s portrait. „Portrait of a Lady” has appeared at the auctions in London for four times: in 1682, 1848, 1872 and 1876. Auction in DESA Unicum is its first auction sale since almost 150 years.
“The presentation of Portrait of a Lady by Peter Paul Rubens in Warsaw is an event of huge importance for the art market,” said Juliusz Windorbski, President of DESA SA. “This work, nearly 400 years old, has remained in private hands in recent decades, and has not been shown publicly since 1965. Portraits by the Flemish painter rarely appear in Europe, and a work of art with such huge historical, artistic and investment value has never been shown before in Poland. This distinguished work, with a model provenance and confirmed authenticity, can reinforce Poland’s already strong position on the auction map of Europe. Last year alone, DESA Unicum exhibited works by such world renowned figures as Auguste Rodin and Chen Wenling.”