Lot Essay
Long thought to be by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, this refined Holy Family has recently been recognised as the work of one of his most valued assistants and collaborators, Jan van den Hoecke. Together with his father Gaspar, Jan contributed to the decorations for the Entry of Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand into Antwerp on 17 April 1635, painting the monumental figures of the King of Hungary and the Cardinal-Infante on the Arch of Ferdinand. He then spent several years in Rome, from at least 1637 until 1644, where he enthusiastically absorbed the influence of Guido Reni and Domenichino, and was a keen observer of classical antiquity. The artist next entered the service of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, first at the Imperial Court in Vienna and later in Brussels. Van den Hoecke's technique can best be described as a synthesis of the contemporary Italian classicising trends and the lessons he learned in Rubens' Antwerp studio.
We are grateful to Dr Bert Schepers for independently suggesting the attribution to Jan van den Hoecke on the basis of photographs.
A note on the provenance:
Don José Agustín de Llano y la Cuadra, 1st Marqués de Llano, was a Spanish diplomat and minister at the Court of Parma from 1771-2, before tensions between the Duchy of Parma and the Courts of Spain induced the Duke to strip him of his position, and he was forced to leave with his retinue. A sale of works from his collection was held shortly afterwards at Christie’s and the present painting was bought by the Irish engraver and art dealer Captain William Baillie (1723-1792), from whom it was acquired shortly afterwards by Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey, also known as Clive of India.
An engraving of 1786 by Raphael Morghen (1758–1833) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (fig. 1) testifies to the painting’s provenance in its inscription: ‘Ricavato del quadro originale esistente nella Galleria di S. E. Milord Clive in Londra’.