ALBAWABA - A painting by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, titled "Saint Sebastian being cared for by two angels," has been identified with the help of X-ray analysis after being lost for almost 300 years. The painting is expected to fetch between £4 million and £6 million ($5.1 million and $7.7 million) at an upcoming auction.
The painting portrays the story of the Roman soldier Saint Sebastian, who was left to die after being pierced by soldiers' arrows for embracing Christianity before being miraculously saved by angels. The artwork is thought to have been commissioned by the Italian noble and military commander Ambrogio Spinola and completed around 1606-1608 in Italy or around 1609-1610 in Antwerp, Belgium after Rubens returned to his hometown.
The painting disappeared from recorded history in the 18th century and reappeared in Missouri, United States, in 1963. It was later acquired by the current owner at an auction in 2008, where it was mistakenly identified as a painting by French artist Laurent de La Hire.
X-ray analysis conducted in April revealed that the painting was indeed a work by Rubens and the original version, as it was previously believed that a painting in the Corsini family collection in Rome was the original version of the painting. The analysis also revealed changes made by Rubens under the final layer of the painting, such as Saint Sebastian facing the opposite direction and an omitted arrow in the saint's right thigh.
George Gordon, the co-chair of Sotheby's Old Masters Paintings Worldwide, said that Rubens was "one of the most famous and greatest painters of the 17th century" and "a true pioneer in the development of Baroque as an artistic style." The painting will be exhibited in London on July 5th and is estimated to fetch between £4 million and £6 million ($5.1 million and $7.7 million) at auction.
