Beskrivning: Se även beskrivning i den engelska versionen

Res. Katalogtext: Description in Flemish paintings C. 1600-C. 1800 III, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 2010, cat.no. 107: 

Technical notes: The painting’s original support, a
medium-weight, tightly woven, plain weave, singlethreaded
fabric, has been lined. The texture of the fabric
support is apparent in the surface of the painting, rendered
more prominent as a result of the lining process. The
tacking edges of the original fabric support have been
cropped, and the painting is attached to a non-original
stretcher at the tacking edges of the lining fabric. Pronounced
cusping is visible along the right edge only, indicating
that the painting has been trimmed on three sides.
However, the dimensions still approximate those of another
version of the composition at Stonyhurst College in
Blackburn, Lancashire, which measures 209.5 x 252.5 cm.
The preparatory layers consist of a thick, evenly
applied, white ground, followed by an opaque, cool grey
imprimatura that serves as mid-tone in the more thinly
painted shaded areas of the flesh tones.

Paint is applied thickly in mostly opaque layers, with
vigorous brushwork, and thick impastos in the sky and in
the white and yellow highlights, especially in the sumptuous
“gold’ brocades of the saints” vestments. The rich
red-and-gold brocade of St. Ambrose’s pluvial was created
by applying pastose bright (lead-tin?) yellow and dark
red paints, for a relief effect, over an opaque mustard
underpaint, followed by a translucent deep red lake in
the depths of the folds. A dark red glaze was also used in
the folds of St. Jerome’s brick red cardinal’s robe. St.
Ambrose’s crozier, the white dove hovering between Sts.
Gregory and Ambrose, and the left hand of the cherub
holding the beehive on the right, were all painted after
the sky had been filled in.

The painting is generally in good condition. A thick
layer of heavily discoloured old varnish is present. Abrasion
is moderate in more thickly painted areas, such as
the brocades and sky, more extensive in areas of thinly
applied paint, such as St. Jerome’s red robe. Retouching
covers two restored horizontal cracks, resp. 54.5 cm and
32.0 cm long, in the paint and ground layers, extending
from the left and right edges. Extensive scattered
retouches cover small, flaked losses in the figures, especially
St. Jerome’s robe and surplice, in the sky and the
foreground, especially the lower right corner. Some reinforcement
of contours occurs in the folds of St. Jerome’s
robe and surplice, and in the cherubs at the upper left.
The painting underwent conservation treatment in 1868,
1869, 1943 and 1977.

Provenance: Coll. Johan Gabriel Stenbock; Christina
Beata Lillie 1705; Johan Gabriel Sack 1727; Eva Bielke
1751; purchased by Gustav III 1778; Gustav III 1792, no.
202 (as Rubens); KM 1795, no. 71; KM 1816, no. 718.
exhibited: Stockholm 1977, no. 85; Stockholm 2010,
no. 76.

Bibliography: Sander II, p. 121, no. 202 (as Peter Paul
Rubens); Göthe 1887, pp. 226–227 (as workshop of Peter
Paul Rubens); Göthe 1893, pp. 279-280 (as workshop of
Peter Paul Rubens); Glück 1933, p. 319; Puyvelde 1936,
pp. 360-362; Puyvelde 1953, pp. 123-124; NM Cat. 1958,
p. 175 (as circle of Peter Paul Rubens); Cavalli-Björkman
1977, p. 47; NM Cat. 1990, p. 184. Rooses, vol. II, 1888,
no. 368; Vlieghe, Corpus VIII, 1972, pp. 80-83.

The four fathers of the Latin church are depicted sitting
in pairs discussing articles of faith. On the left we
see St. Jerome, bare-headed with his cardinal’s hat on
his back. A lion lies by his side and he is explaining a
text to Augustine from an open Bible in his lap. Gregory
can be seen in the middle of the work with the
white dove of the Holy Spirit hovering above his head.
He is listening to Ambrose, who is holding a mitre and
a cross. A beehive, supported by an angel, symbolizes
Ambrose’s gentle eloquence.

In the Nationalmuseum’s earlier inventories and
catalogues this painting has been attributed to Rubens.
Vlieghe and others have, however, established that the
painting matches several versions of the same motif
painted by Jacob Jordaens. At Stonyhurst College in
Blackburn, Lancashire there was a large canvas depicting
the Fathers of the Church but with certain variations
in the iconography of St. Jerome.1 Here he is
almost completely nude and his hat is lying on the
ground before his feet. The same composition,
although reversed, can be seen in a graphic print by C.
Gallé which has the inscription “P. P. Rubens inventor”
(Fig. 1). Jordaens probably based his painting on a
sketch in oils by Rubens. This may have been a work
that Rubens was working on shortly before his death
in 1640 and was then completed in a large scale format
by Jordaens.2

Both versions of the painting match Jordaens’1640s
style and its use of large figures. Another version of
the motif can be seen in the Chrysler Museum of Art,
Norfolk Virginia.3 Puyvelde also mentions a weak
copy in a private collection in Brussels.4
GCB

1 Vlieghe, Corpus I, 1972-1973, pp. 81-83, no. 60. Today in Private coll.
2 Vlieghe suggests that the Rubens’ modello on which Jordaens relied may
have been recorded in the inventory of the collection of the landscape
painter J. Wildens of 1653, where it was referred to as “De vier Doctoren”
geschift (sketch) van Rubbens”.
3 Oil on canvas, 180 x 243, Puyvelde 1953, pp. 360-362; The Museum sold
the painting at Sotheby’s, New York, 1989, lot 8.
4 Oil on canvas, 165 x 225, Puyvelde 1953, p. 124.[End]

Foto: Erik Cornelius / Nationalmuseum 2009

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