The famous painting by Peter Rubens that was believed to either have been lost or misattributed for about 200 years is expected to rank among the highest-value old master works ever sold in history when it is auctioned next year, the Guardian reports.
The painting, depicting Salome being presented with the head of John the Baptist was rediscovered in 1998 and will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in January. Dated around 1609, when the artist returned to his native Flanders from his sojourn to Italy, the artwork depicts the cautionary tale of Salome, popular in the early 17th century for its message to be wary of cunning and powerful women.
It equally, according to Keith Christiansen, the curator emeritus of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, “fearlessly explores the violent and sexual dynamics of the Biblical narrative like some pre-cinematic Martin Scorsese.”
The painting is from the same year as another major work Sotheby’s sold in 2002, the Massacre of the Innocents, which was then the most valuable work of art to be sold in GBP and the priciest old master ever sold at auction at £50m. Though Salome is conservatively estimated at £31m, excitement among auctioneers is high.
“Like the Massacre of the Innocents, which broke all records in 2002, it is one of the key paintings that Rubens made after he returned from Italy. Exploding with creative energy, he immediately embarked on what were to become three of his greatest masterpieces: the Samson and Delilah at the National Gallery in London, Massacre of the Innocents, now in the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, and this painting we will be selling in January.”
“There is nothing shy about these pictures … These are baroque paintings that speak with a contemporary voice. Their modernity lies in their probing, psychological dimension combined with dramatic flair, realised with brilliantly descriptive brushwork,” Christiansen said.
