A bust of Christ, in three-quarter profile

The robust and powerful depiction of Christ was likely originally accompanied by a pendant of the Virgin, facing left. Several other versions are known, which are considered to be copies from the workshop and otherwise, of the presumed lost original pair or dyptich which Rubens probably executed for Balthazar I Moretus in Antwerp, and which Dr. Hans Vlieghe dates to circa 1615-20 (see H. Vlieghe, Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard. Saints, VIII, I, London 1972, pp. 32-33, plates 12 and 13).
The present panel originally had a rectangular shape like the other versions. In details and quality it is comparable with the Christ, which was sold at Sotheby's, London, 8 July 2010, lot 116. Dr. Hans Vlieghe, to whom we are grateful, attributes the present painting to the studio of Sir Peter Paul Rubens after first hand inspection and dates it to the first half of the 1620s.