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