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Lot Essay
Jan van Malderen or Johannes Malderus (1563-1633) studied philosophy in Douai and theology in Leuven, took the degree of doctor of theology in 1594, was professor of theology in Leuven from 1596 onward and became Bishop of Antwerp in 1611. He remained there until his death and published much. In 1625 and 1633 he is recorded as having donated stained-glass windows to several churches in the city.
Ludwig Burchard examined the present painting in 1957 and 1959 and stated that despite what he called 'the delicacy of the execution', this work could not be considered the original version by van Dyck. On the basis of old photographs, Dr. Horst Vey included the present work in his 2003 catalogue raisonné on van Dyck, as an accepted work from the second Antwerp period. However, he subsequently revised his opinion from the study of better images and considered that the present work is the prime studio repetition of a lost original by van Dyck. Dr. Vey noted that the head is particularly impressive and the sketchy treatment of the robes that the Bishop wears is slightly less sophisticated in handling. This stylistic discrepancy led Vey to conclude that, 'It stands to reason that such a picture was painted under the immediate artistic control of van Dyck, and it is reasonable to assume that he would improve the head and perhaps other important parts of the picture if it was deemed necessary'. This opinion is repeated in the latest van Dyck catalogue raisonné published in 2004 in which the present work is considered the best version of a lost original and superior in quality to the one in the Koninklijk Museum, Antwerp.
The present work formerly belonged to the celebrated collector Pierre Crozat. The majority of his paintings passed to his nephew, Louis-Antoine, Baron de Thiers, a bibliophile who is not otherwise known to have bought paintings. The portrait then passed directly to another prestigious collection, that of Catherine the Great, where it hung in the Palace of Tsarskoe-Selo, near St. Petersburg.
Ludwig Burchard examined the present painting in 1957 and 1959 and stated that despite what he called 'the delicacy of the execution', this work could not be considered the original version by van Dyck. On the basis of old photographs, Dr. Horst Vey included the present work in his 2003 catalogue raisonné on van Dyck, as an accepted work from the second Antwerp period. However, he subsequently revised his opinion from the study of better images and considered that the present work is the prime studio repetition of a lost original by van Dyck. Dr. Vey noted that the head is particularly impressive and the sketchy treatment of the robes that the Bishop wears is slightly less sophisticated in handling. This stylistic discrepancy led Vey to conclude that, 'It stands to reason that such a picture was painted under the immediate artistic control of van Dyck, and it is reasonable to assume that he would improve the head and perhaps other important parts of the picture if it was deemed necessary'. This opinion is repeated in the latest van Dyck catalogue raisonné published in 2004 in which the present work is considered the best version of a lost original and superior in quality to the one in the Koninklijk Museum, Antwerp.
The present work formerly belonged to the celebrated collector Pierre Crozat. The majority of his paintings passed to his nephew, Louis-Antoine, Baron de Thiers, a bibliophile who is not otherwise known to have bought paintings. The portrait then passed directly to another prestigious collection, that of Catherine the Great, where it hung in the Palace of Tsarskoe-Selo, near St. Petersburg.