Tom Mayhall Rastrelli

Statesman Journal

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art has secured a rare and exclusive U.S. exhibition of a rediscovered painting by Old Master and Flemish baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens. Dr. Ricardo De Mambro Santos, associate professor of art history at Willamette University, rediscovered the portrait of Archduke Albert VII of Austria two years ago in Rome. Since then, he has worked to authenticate it. The piece will be on exhibit at Hallie Ford from Oct. through March.

President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust James Cuno put the 17th century painting's rediscovery in perspective.

"Without question, in a century of towering geniuses which included Poussin, Bernini and Rembrandt, Rubens is not only one of the towering geniuses as a draftsman and painter but also a diplomat and friend of kings and princes of great importance," Cuno, who sits on Willamette University's board of Trustees, said. "To have a painting from his earliest years and of one of his most important patron is more exciting. It allows us to see the young Rubens at his moment of contact with the great artistic legacy of ancient and renaissance Rome."

De Mambro Santos calls the rediscovered portrait Rubens' "laboratory" and believes it will change scholars' understanding of the Master's early artistic development and transformation from an unknown apprentice painter in Antwerp into the 17th century's most influential baroque painter.

"We have the tendency to believe that everything has been said about art history," De Mambro Santos said. "I still believe this is an open narrative. Therefore as a scholar, I see it as an essential part of my task to fill gaps whether intellectual, critical or historical."

Impact

This rediscovery fills such a gap. Only two of Rubens' portraits, both from his time in Antwerp, predate the rediscovered piece. Rubens traveled from Antwerp to Italy in 1600 to study the renaissance Masters, such as Leonardo and Michelangelo. De Mambro Santos dates the portrait to the early years of Rubens' Italian residency between 1600 and 1604 and hopes that ongoing studies will further pinpoint the date. No other known Rubens portraits from this period have survived.

"We did know Rubens' early work between 1596 and 1599, but we didn't know any works from the very beginning of his career in Rome," De Mambro Santos said. "The Rubens we know today started in this portrait that we're bringing to the Hallie Ford. This particular portrait could be considered the preliminary workshop for his future baroque style."

Oil on wood, the portrait of Archduke Albert VII is as detailed as a photographic rendering. It has the formal characteristics of Nordic art from Rubens' early training as well as references to the 16th century Italian Masters he was studying. Unlike theirs, his brushstrokes are visible. The subject's eyes evoke emotion. There's a dramatic contrast between light and shade. These latter characteristics defined baroque painting and were key in the identification and rediscovery of this "lost" work, said De Mambro Santos.

"It's rediscovered in that the work had never been materially lost. It belonged always to the same family, as far as we can tell, from the 19th century on. The painting was known, but its author and master was not known. Thanks to the research, we came up with an attribution," De Mambro Santos said.

The mystery

The search to uncover the artist behind the portrait began when De Mambro Santos' former student, Cecilia Paolini, called him from Rome two years ago. Paolini, an independent scholar and expert in restoration and conservation of paintings at the Laboratory of Restoration in Rome, has been De Mambro Santos' longtime collaborator on Flemish and Dutch art research. The owner of the painting, who wishes to remain anonymous, hired Paolini to to clean and restore the painting. Paolini had immediate questions about its origin and contacted De Mambro Santos, who flew to Rome to assist.

"I realized at once that we were dealing with a very important and creative Master," De Mambro Santos said. "Through the cleaning and restoration process, we realized that it was not by a minor Master but by someone who was really experimenting with some new solutions in Rome at the time."

Analyzing the portraits' material and chemical composition and its style, they tested and confirmed their hypothesis that Rubens was the portrait's creator. Key factors were the presence of a yellow pigment used only by Flemish Masters in the Roman workshops of the time and the piece's curvilinear brushstrokes.

"Rather than painting from left to right he used wavelike brushstrokes. This is a tendency that he will develop later in his career," De Mambro Santos said. "So far, this is the oldest painting that could be attributed to Rubens in which these techniques are used."

"There will be people who doubt it, but that's the nature of scholarship," Cuno said of De Mambro Santos' conclusion. "We can all be grateful to the owner of the painting that he was willing to share it with the public. It will allow others to come to their own conclusions about the authorship of the painting, and that's the exciting thing about scholarship."

The rediscovered portrait also has historical implications. It is now Rubens' earliest known portrait of Archduke Albert VII, who became Rubens' most important patron throughout what became a grand and influential career. De Mambro Santos said that before this discovery, it was assumed that Rubens and Albert met after 1604 and didn't become closely tied until 1608. The portrait may have launched Rubens' career.

"At that time, when Rubens first met Albert in Rome, he got a very good and important public commission thanks to Albert's support," De Mambro Santos said. "This is the very starting point of their mutual respect and future collaboration. So important that Rubens would eventually undertake diplomatic missions for Albert's wife … We now have the historical confirmation that Rubens met his patron much sooner than scholars used to believe."

The rediscovered portrait is small and was likely used as reference point for Rubens' future work and numerous portraits of Albert that have similar attributes. The archduke appointed Rubens his court painter in 1609. Rubens traveled a great deal, especially for his diplomatic work. He probably used visual references like this piece when he had to complete a commission and was miles from Albert.

In spite of the rediscovered portrait's historical and artistic relevance, the piece's value is still being determined.

"I have no idea really," De Mambro Santos said of its value. "It could be 4,000 euros or four million euros."

Coming to Salem

With De Mambro Santos' assistance, the anonymous owners agreed to lend the piece to the Hallie Ford Museum of Art for the only exhibit of the painting in the United States.

"This is a great opportunity for our students, members and visitors to see this important Rubens portrait," John Olbrantz, the Maribeth Collins Director of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, said. "For them to be able to study and look at this Rubens is going to be an amazing experience, for the community as well, all of Oregon and the whole West Coast. We're hoping people will hear about this and drive to see it."

The museum staff and De Mambro Santos have been working hard to plan the exhibition, the exact dates of which will soon be determined. In the gallery near the rediscovered portrait, they plan to project a progression of the various portraits by Rubens and his contemporaries of Archduke Albert VII — there are a plethora — to illustrate the development of the baroque style.

This is not the first time De Mambro Santos has secured works that he rediscovered and identified for exhibit at Hallie Ford. In 2011, a collection of Italian drawings that he identified in Monte San Giusto were exhibited in "Timeless Renaissance: Italian Drawings from the Alessandro Maggiori Collection." Next year, Hallie Ford will feature a Book of Prayer illustrated by northern renaissance artists that De Mabro Santos identified for an Oregon art collector.

The significance of these historical and artistic exhibitions is not lost on Stephen Thorsett, president of Willamette University.

"Through the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette's students and faculty have unparalleled access to work directly with premier artists and scholars. Director John Olbrantz, his staff and faculty such as professor De Mambro Santos have brought outstanding exhibitions to our community, and we hope that readers take the opportunity to learn more about this cultural gem in Salem," Thorsett said.

In our culture, where duplications and the digital mass production of art are commonplace, De Mambro Santos stressed the importance of seeing a Master's original.

"My students or anyone else could just buy the book, but it's a whole different universe when you see an original," De Mambro Santos said. "You can see the technique, the choices, mistakes and the doubts of an author while they were making the work. Therefore you can fully understand the creative process behind it."

Andrea Foust, the museum's manager of membership and public relations, summed up the experience awaiting those who will view Rubens' "Portrait of Archduke Albert VII."

"I've been floored over and over again when I've gotten in front of the actual piece, when I thought I had a good understanding of it, and I realize that it's been rewritten in this magical moment of actually seeing the work," Foust said.

TRastrelli@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 983-6030 or follow on Twitter @RastrelliSJ

Peter Paul Rubens

(1577-1640)

Was born in Siegen, Germany. From age 10 he lived in Antwerp where he began his art studies. From 1600 to 1608, he studied in Italy where he developed his baroque style known for extravagance, movement, color and sensuality. He is one of the most famous, successful and prolific artists of the 17th century. Some of his works include "The Descent from the Cross," "Samson and Delilah," "The Disembarkation at Marseilles" and "The Festival of Venus." Rubens also had a successful career as a diplomat and spy for the Spanish Hapsburg rulers. He had eight children by two wives, the first of which he outlived. He died after suffering with gout for several years.

Ricardo De Mambro Santos

Ricardo De Mambro Santos has been an associate professor of Art History at Willamette University since 2006. He is an expert in a wide range of visual culture from the 15th to 18th centuries including Flemish and Dutch art, northern and Italian renaissance art and Mannerism. Before coming to Salem, De Mambro Santos taught at the University of Rome for 12 years and as a visiting professor at the University of Washington and Whitman College.

Education

B. A., M.A., Università di Roma "La Sapienza" (Italy)

Ph.D., Università degli Studi di Bologna (Italy)

Post-Doctoral, Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane – Palazzo Strozzi, Firenze (Italy)

At a glance

• An unattributed painting hangs in an Italian family's private collection since at least the 19th century.

• The anonymous owner brings the painting to a restoration lab in Rome, Italy.

• Restoration specialist Cecilia Paolini has suspicions about the painting's origin and calls her research collaborator.

• Ricardo De Mambro Santos, associate professor of art history at Willamette University and expert in renaissance and baroque art, is immediately struck by the portrait's superb technique.

• They form the hypothesis that Peter Paul Rubens' authored the portrait.

• Stylistic analysis reveals techniques particular to Rubens such as his peculiar curvilinear brushstrokes.

• The portrait is dated to 1600-1604. De Mambro Santos is hopeful further study will pinpoint the date.

• Material and chemical analysis reveal a yellow pigment, "Roman yellow," particular to Rubens in that time and location.

• A series of primarily nondestructive tests, including X-ray, infrared reflectography and ultraviolet radiation, confirm the stylistic, material and chemical findings.

• The hypothesis is affirmed. The portrait is attributed to Rubens.

• The anonymous owner agrees to loan the rediscovered portrait to the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University for an exclusive U.S. exhibition.

• Titled "Portrait of Archduke Albert VII," the painting features the man who became Rubens' influential patron and helped launch his career.

• Rubens is one the 17th century's most prolific and celebrated painters of the baroque era.

• He is considered an Old Master, a title also attributed to the likes of Leonardo di Vinci and Michelangelo.