The auction house has just announced the offering of an unusual -and whose authorship seems to be questioned- painting of Poussin, The Elephant or Hannibal crossing the Alps (1625-1626), at its Old Master & British Paintings Auction on July 2d.
The painting (100 x 133 cm), estimated between £3 and £5 million, shows Hannibal, the legendary Carthaginian general, directing an historic invasion of Italy on the back of a war elephant, during the 2d punic war.
Mentioned in Cassiona Dal Pozzo collection, the painting reappears in 1961 during the exhibition at the musée des Beaux-Arts of Rouen as a work only “attributed to Poussin”.
Considered as a genuine Poussin’s work by Mahon and Blunt, Thuillier yet rejects the painting: “we believe recognizing here the hand of a high-quality artist, no doubt around 1630′s, who seems to be the author of several other poussinesque paintings.” [translated] Alain Mérot is also doubtful about it: “A strange an rather clumsy Hannibal crossing the Alps (Cambridge, Mass.), with a really questioned authorship, may take part of this documentary production…” [translated]
Francesco Solinas, in his study Poussin and Cassiano Dal Pozzo – Notes and documents on a friendly collaboration presented during 1994 symposium, mentions The Elephant as a Poussin’s work, quoting a letter from Poussin to Cassiano Dal Pozzo where the artist guarantees to complete a drawing from a painting showing an elephant with Hannibal mounted upon it, armed in a classical style.
Further information:
• The press release on Christie’s website
Sorry for the delayed response, but I lost this web address and just found it. Is there another way to contact me or for me to contact you?
I need help researching a 3′ by 4′ oil painting by Nicolas Poussin, probably done near the end of his life. I can’t find any drawings or pictures of it anywhere. Friedlander/Blunt state that there are 13 lost Bacchanals. I have researched this painting for over fifteen years and believe it to be one of his lost bacchanals. There is a 19th century receipt on the back that calls it a Bacchanalian Scened, and other information saying it was purchased in Paris in 1859 by a Mrs. Peters of Philadelphia. While I won’t go into detail at this point, the painting is full of symbolism and a plethora of Poussin elements, that only Poussin, as the great intellectual painter of the 17th century would have known. The painting portrays the moment before the festivities are to begin. One of his favorite themes is to conceptualize the moment before something is about to happen, such as the man chased by the snake, or in his last painting of Daphne and Apollo. Poussin has been quoted as saying, “I leave nothing out.” In the Daphne and Apollo and again in this bacchanal, nothing has been left out from the stories about these events. In fact, this bacchanal attempts to tie together three stories of Bacchus: the Egyptian, Roman and Indian versions. The painting is dominated by the large Hellenistic statue of the Nile River God Osiris, found in the Vatican, and probably the model for the river gods in nearly 40 of his paintings. Here Osiris doubles as Bacchus, something only Poussin would have done. Anyway, this is a very complex and sophisticated painting. Who did they say was the intellectual painter of the 17th century?
Hi James,
Thank you for your message ; we would be glad to help you in your search.
Do you have other details and some pictures of the painting and its details you may want to share on this website?