(Antwerp 1599–1641 London)
The Virgin as Intercessor,
oil on canvas, 166 x 113 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, The Netherlands, since 1975

Literature:
S. J. Barnes, N. De Poorter, O. Millar & H. Vey, Van Dyck. A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, New Haven/London, 2004, p. 275 (as copy);
E. Larsen, The Paintings of Anthony van Dyck, Freren, 1988, pp. 278–278, no. 691, illustrated p. 279 and pp. 48–49 no. 13 (as Anthony van Dyck)

We are grateful to Katlijne van der Stighelen for suggesting the attribution after examining the present painting in the original (written communication in copy). We are grateful for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.

The painting offered here is a larger workshop version of what is seen as Van Dyck’s prototype, conserved in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. (inv. no. 1942.9.88). The heavenward gaze of the Virgin in both compositions is comparable with works of the same period by the artist, such as The Virgin and Child in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (inv. no. PD.48–1976). The present work and the Washington painting depict the Virgin as Intercessor surrounded by angels bearing the instruments of the Passion of Christ, the Arma Christi. In both works the angels present the Holy Cross and the Veil of Saint Veronica. A larger veil, possibly the Virgin’s own, is worn around the head and shoulders of an angel on the right who gazes out at the viewer. Both paintings show the Virgin being crowned with a wreath of roses signifying her role as intercessor for man’s redemption.

A close comparison between the two works shows subtle alterations in the iconography. In the Washington painting, the angel in the upper left corner carries the crown of thorns above his head, which is replaced in the present work with a basket of flowers. Additionally, in the Washington painting, the angel pointing to Mary on the left-hand side is empty handed whilst in the present work he holds a palm branch. The variations between the two works were possibly influenced by the preferences of a particular patron or an intended location of the present work.

The work offered here is notably higher than the work in Washington (164.5 x 112.6 cm versus 118.8 x 102.3 cm) while being only 10 cm wider. The difference is particularly noticeable in the sky at the top of the painting and in the lower part of the composition. There is no indication that the Washington work would originally have been of the same size.

The Washington painting is characterised by the suggestive and fluid brushwork typical for Van Dyck’s second Antwerp period (circa 1627–1632/34). In the most recent catalogue raisonné of Van Dyck, Horst Vey dates the Washington work to circa 1630/32 (op. cit. H. Vey in: S. J. Barnes, N. De Poorter, O. Millar & H. Vey, 2004, pp. 274–275). In his discussion on the religious works by Van Dyck’s second Antwerp period, Vey states that: ‘It seems to have been the exception rather than the rule for a composition to leave the workshop before a repetition had been made’ (op. cit. H. Vey in: S. J. Barnes, N. De Poorter, O. Millar & H. Vey, 2004, p. 240). Based on this view, it is plausible that versions after the Washington work were made in Van Dyck’s workshop.

One such workshop version, of smaller proportions, was recently offered for sale as ‘Circle of Van Dyck’ within these rooms (see sale, Dorotheum, Vienna, 15 December 2023, lot 140). In that version, the angel flying towards the Virgin at the level of her right hand is depicted with his left arm reaching downwards, while the same angel in the Washington painting extends its left arm upwards indicating to the Virgin as Intercessor. Technical examination of the canvas in Washington has revealed that the angel in question was originally depicted with a downward reaching left arm which was later adjusted. In the present painting, the angel’s left arm is positioned exactly as in the Washington work, here holding the palm branch. It can be concluded that the work offered here is based on the final stage of the Washington painting.

The composition by Van Dyck was disseminated thanks to an engraving in reverse by Lucas Vorsterman the Younger which was made after the earlier stage of the Washington painting, in which the angel is also shown with the original position of its left arm (see S. Turner, C. Depauw, The New Hollstein Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, 1450-1700: Anthony van Dyck, 8 vols., Rotterdam 2002, VII, no. 562. pp. 273–274). A print of this work is conserved in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Since neither the print nor the work in the Dorotheum sale of 15 December 2023 is dated, it remains uncertain how much time elapsed between the creation of the first stage and the later adjustment of the painting in Washington. During the restoration of the latter, it was concluded that the overpainting of the arm was painted by Van Dyck himself. As the artist only came to Antwerp very briefly after 1634, Van Dyck must have altered the work before this date. For this reason, Katlijne van der Stighelen concludes the present painting can be dated with certainty after 1634.