Anthony van Dyck

(Antwerp 1599–1640 London)
Head study of a bearded man,
oil on panel, 48.2 x 38 cm, framed

Incised with the monogram of the Antwerp panel maker Michiel Vriendt (active 1615–1637) on the reverse and with the remains of two old inventory numbers: 51 and 94.

Provenance:
Private collection, Germany;
sale, Lempertz, Cologne, 17 May 1962, lot 198 (as Peter Paul Rubens);
Private collection, Germany;
Private collection, Switzerland;
sale, Sotheby’s, New York, 31 January 2009, lot 64 (as Circle of Peter Paul Rubens);
Private collection, Switzerland;
Private collection, South Germany

Literature:
A. Morassi, Alcune opere del Rubens a Genova, in: Emporium, no. 105, 1947, pp. 187–195, pl. 11 (as Peter Paul Rubens)

We are grateful to Christopher Brown for confirming the attribution of the present painting to Anthony van Dyck after first-hand inspection. He wrote to the owner (private communication, February 2011): ‘I saw your oil study and agreed with you that it probably served as a preparatory study for the Vertumnus and Pomona by Van Dyck in Genoa. It certainly has the confidence and fluency that one expects of an authentic work by Van Dyck […].’

This powerful study of a bearded man shows an extreme and unusual illumination. The light comes almost directly from behind, broadly falling onto the back of the head, while the largest part of the face is entirely in shadow. The rapid and secure brushstrokes that are applied on the priming ‘wet in wet’, efficiently model the head and face. This masterful and sketchy painting technique is extremely reminiscent of Rubens, as is the lively expression of the old man. Thus, its not surprising that the painting originally was published as an early work by the Antwerp master dating from his Genoa period, circa 1610/15. While the attribution to Rubens is an obvious choice, it has been overlooked until now that there is a painting, also in Genoa, by his pupil Anthony van Dyck that is dependant on the present work: Vertumnus and Pomona, Galleria di Palazzo Bianco, Genoa (see S. J. Barnes/N. de Poorter/O. Millar/H. Vey, Van Dyck, A complete catalogue of the paintings, New Haven 2004, p. 166-167, II.22).

The present head of an old man is a good example of Van Dyck’s particularly expressive head studies which he used for his history paintings. It served as the first preparatory study for the god Vertumnus. In the finished painting, the latter pretends to be a woman and wears a head drapery, following Ovid’s Metamorphoses (14, 622–695). In the story Vertumnus, who can change his appearance at will, tries to woo Pomona, a desirable but haughty nymph. She, however, rebuffs his advances and shelters herself in her orchard. Disguised as an old woman Vertumnus finally gains access to Pomona. In the Genoa painting van Dyck shows him purposely approaching her against the bright sunlight, which obscures his face and his true identity. The artist used an elderly ‘ad vivum’ model to carefully study and subsequently paint the rather extreme illumination. Corresponding with Ovid’s text, van Dyck then transformed the man of the original study into a more youthful and classical character.

The head of Vertumnus in profile is clearly based on the present study head. It strongly depends on the sketch in the outlines, as well as in the handling of light and shade. Furthermore, both heads have similar facial features and nearly identical dimensions. The close connections between both works is plainly visible, but obscured a little by the Genoa painting’s condition issues. Still the whole handling of light and shade in the face of Vertumnus is very close to the old man. The illumination of the cheekbone, lateral forehead and the tip of the nose follows in detail the present oil sketch. The same is true for the shades in the areas of the cheek, forehead, eyebrows and the bridge of the nose. In addition, the bony jaw with its scanty grey beard, and the throat with an Adam’s apple are nearly unchanged in the finished painting. Furthermore, the dark brushstroke that boldly forms the nostril in the study is repeated in a similar although slightly milder way.

There is also a drawing of the subject (see Anthony van Dyck, exhibition catalogue, Washington 1990/91, p. 184, fig. 4). If we compare Vertumnus in the drawing with the present head of an old man they are strikingly similar in all of the details of the face and throat. That is a strong additional argument that the head of Vertumnus is based on the present study head.