拍品專文
This small, spirited oil sketch is loosely derived from the central panel of the immensely influential triptych by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, commissioned by the Antwerp Civic Guard (the Arquebusiers) in 1611 for their altar in the city's cathedral, where it remains today. The composition inspired numerous artists working throughout northern Europe to create variations on the theme, expanding on Rubens' dynamic arrangement of the scene's protagonists. In the present work, the figure of St John the Evangelist at lower centre mirrors the pose of his Rubensian counterpart; enrobed in vivid red, his back unnaturally contorted as he struggles to bear the weight of Christ's body.