The Elephant in the Room

I only recently caught up with Christie’s attempt to sell Poussin’s Hannibal Crossing the Alps on a Elephant in July. I’ve been neglecting the art market of late, so I didn’t hear about the auction until this month. My first thought was that it was a shame to separate the Hannibal from its two other Poussins at the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University.

When I told another Poussin scholar about this, he expressed reservations about how the valuations of paintings are disconnected from scholarship, which to him is the elephant in the room, the thing nobody seems to want to talk about. I had to agree. The picture was purchased by one of the most perceptive connoisseurs and patrons of the 17th century: Cassiano dal Pozzo, who was extremely knowledgeable about leading artists like Titian and Leonardo. He clearly saw something in this canvas which led him to pay a sizeable amount for a struggling painter with great potential. And it was one of the twentieth- century’s finest baroque scholars Sir Denis Mahon who included it in an important exhibition of 1999 on Poussin’s early years in Rome. To put this in context, Mahon connected the Hannibal with an undated letter to Cassiano in which Poussin says he has made drawings of the elephant, not an elephant, which he had the impression that Cassiano wanted, and so would make him a present of it. As this letter was a “pathetic, though dignified plea” ( to use Mahon’s words) by an ill and penurious young painter, Mahon argued that the letter motivated Cassiano to tactfully help the painter by paying 40 scudi, a large sum for a work by an unknown artist who had arrived in Rome in 1625, the likely date of this work. Yet although Cassiano showed charitable sentiments, he would not have bought the painting if he had had doubts about Poussin’s abilities.

I doubt if Cassiano bought the Hannibal because it was an “unusual” and “unconventional” subject. From reading the remarks of the Christie’s representative, the picture is presented as a curio, a pictorial oddity that might appeal to a modern patron on the lookout for “unusual” subjects that Poussin rarely painted. That is obviously the view of someone who doesn’t know much about Poussin. A lot of his subjects, both famous and lesser-known, are unusual; many famous landscapes have unusual iconography like philosophers discoursing in groups. And the renowned Mercury consigning Bacchus to the Nymphs/Echo and Narcissus, one of Hannibal’s companions at Harvard, is very unusual. To say that Poussin painted “mostly mythological and religious subjects” is to demean his inventive powers. What about allegories, animals and natural history, battle-pictures, landscapes, philosophical subjects, self-portraits and a plethora of other topics on canvas and on paper. Please Christies, valuations based on real scholarship next time.

These views are reported in this article by Reuters. I’m not surprised that the press would take this line after hearing Christie’s half-hearted “endorsement” of the Hannibal. As for the sale, I may be wrong but I bet it didn’t sell for 3.5 million. Doubtless they were hoping that Poussin’s name would boost interest, not to mention the 21^st equivalent of a Cassiano dal Pozzo with an eye for an “unusual” picture turning up to bid. Perhaps Christie’s thought that if “minor masters” like Scipione Pulzone could fetch 3 million or thereabouts, the same for work for a neglected painting by a major master like Poussin.

I took a photograph of the Poussins when I visited the museum in 2006, though sadly my snap of the Hannibal didn’t come out. I hope the real elephant does stay in this particular room after its travels. There’s too much art wrenched out of museums and propelled around the world.

 

Comments

[peuterey outlet]

Under no circumstances clone anybody else's portable strategy. Although they might be succeeding does not necessarily mean it will be the suitable method for you. If you are sending out similar messages or styles as your competitor, they may not be interested in making a change to you, customers like innovation, and.

[ゴヤール 店舗]

GOYARDサンルイのグリーンも緑が合わせやすい人気色。GOYARDサンルイのブルーはネイビーより明るい青です。春と夏の色で人気色といえば、GOYARDサンルイのオレンジ。秋ならGOYARDサンルイのパープルが人気色です。GOYARDサンルイのネイビーは秋冬の人気色。
ゴヤール 店舗

[Uggs uitverkoop online]

Ugg Bailey Bow Tall jvegzdsgf Purple Bailey Bow Ugg wgylmezirer bow uggs voifvdui bow uggs brnpdqmgeym Uggs UK hemkrx Ugg Outlet lyjhudeux Ugg Outlet Store UK iolqafn Uggs sale itugpd Kids Uggs Sale gcxysmuftt Kids Ugg Boots
Uggs uitverkoop online

[louis vuitton outlet store online]

7777Also remember Maks Erin and Maks Brandy and Maks Nearly everybody Else?. The new York Situations has thrown us an additional curve this 7 days.
louis vuitton outlet store online

[sorry i m fresh shirts nike]

since the inner part cracked open by explosion to open, four the ice scraps broken bits splashing bombard abyss stone wall up the deep pit of a like the intensive bullet.The body is placed in stone wall Wu Leng Yai within cave hole, on the other hand because the body is subjected to activity of

[cheap billabong hoodies]

How will the Mo have so great power?If according to gobbling up the strength stratum of to calculate of words, this one-eyed person should soon got into to arrive 4 F to awake?That one-eyed person doesn't know the gold is small to open brain in actually is just thinking what, laughing wildly of just

[Giubbotti Peuterey]

“Wee'oop!” Michael shouted. He whirled Sophie to the chair and dumped her into it, exactly where she sat gasping. “Last night I wished you’d dyed his hair blue!” he stated. “I don’t thoughts now. When Howl stated ‘Lettie Hatter,’ I even thought of dying him blue myself. You can easily see the way he talks. I knew he was going to drop this girl, just like all of the other folks, as soon as he’d got her to appreciate him. And when I believed it was my Lettie, I'Anyway, you realize he mentioned
Giubbotti Peuterey

[Magnetic Floor]

Magnetic separator for grinding machines other coolant (cutting oil or emulsion) purification. Magnetic separator is mainly used for automatic separation of ferromagnetic material, cutting fluid to keep clean and improve the processing performance and tool life, reduce environmental pollution.
Magnetic Floor http://islamabad.olx.com.pk/magnetic-floor-iid-582732620
Magnetic Floor

[NBA Hats australia]

salon that is kept also puts at in 鈥︹€?!I knew, that salonSee there is one green, it oasis that is among the desert to seem.The gold is small to open just going to turn head to talk to that several people, sudden the earth a burst of tremor, close behind distance's spreading "bomb Long" one is

[Magnetic Floor]

Because the pump start is the beginning of the grinding work, we must use coolant. While it is working.
Magnetic Floor http://islamabad.olx.com.pk/magnetic-floor-iid-582732620
Magnetic Floor

[Andrea Quirine]

Looking at other Poussin's paintings lead us to think that Poussin did not only paint mostly about mythology and religious subjects. Poussin paintings are also about animals and natural history, allegories, battle-pictures, landscapes, philosophical subjects and self-portraits as shown in this article. I think, the creators of these kind of incredible artworks should be considered to received scholarships. In addition, sponsors are also needed to make their works to be more acknowledged in their greatness. Want to see another ‘elephant in the room’ painting by another artist? Click https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/THE-ELEPHANT-IN-MY-ROOM/25C9B83A2B7673AA

[Andrea Quirine]

Looking at other Poussin's paintings lead us to think that Poussin did not only paint mostly about mythology and religious subjects. Poussin paintings are also about animals and natural history, allegories, battle-pictures, landscapes, philosophical subjects and self-portraits as shown in this article. I think, the creators of these kind of incredible artworks should be considered to received scholarships. In addition, sponsors are also needed to make their works to be more acknowledged in their greatness. Want to see another ‘elephant in the room’ painting by another artist? Click https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/THE-ELEPHANT-IN-MY-ROOM/25C9B83A2B7673AA