GEERAERT DE LAVALLÉE (Antwerp, 1596/97 - 1667). "Longines piercing the side of Christ". Oil on copper.

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Jul 14, 2021

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• Lot Description
  GEERAERT DE LAVALLÉE (Antwerp, 1596/97 - 1667). "Longines piercing the side of Christ". Oil on copper. Signed in the lower left area. Measures: 55 x 73 cm; 81 x 98 cm (frame). Based on the work of the same subject of Pedro Pablo Rubens, Geeraert de Lavallée has chosen one of his most dramatic moments of the Crucifixion, looking for the pathos and, at the same time, a staging of theatrical character typically baroque, where the characters multiply, as well as the anecdotal details, and an action is developed, in full movement. It is the moment when the soldier Longinus pierces the side of Jesus with his spear, to verify that he is dead, while Jesus is crucified on Mount Golgotha together with the thieves Gestas and Dismas. At the foot of the Cross, Mary Magdalene, kneeling and hugging the cross, cries to heaven raising her hands, while Mary, St. John the Evangelist and a last figure that could be Mary of Cleophas, weep before such a merciless scene. At a formal level, it should be noted that this is not a Crucifixion as usual, since Christ does not appear from the front, but tilted, so that his side can be clearly seen. Likewise, the anatomical treatment reveals a masterful knowledge of nature, both in the figure of Christ and in those of the thieves; these are suffering bodies, twisted by pain and faint, which reflect with great veracity the pathetic and painful nature of the scene, within a tremendist feeling typical of the Flemish Baroque. The careful palette of colors, as well as the exceptional technique used, indicate that we are in front of a work of great technical quality. Geeraert de La Vallée (1596/97 - 1667) was a Flemish painter specialized in landscape and history painting, tremendously inspired by the great Flemish masters. His style is marked by the great Flemish masters, such as Abrahem Govaerts and Jan Brueghel the Elder. Little is known with certainty about his life, his city of birth can be placed in Michelen or Antwerp. He worked in Paris where he lived from 1620-1625. He left samples of his talent in different European cities as in one of the churches of Mechelen where he made an important baroque painting. Around 1626-1627 there is evidence of his presence in Antwerp as a member of the Guild of Saint Luke, a reputable guild of painters in the city. He worked in the workshop of Forchondt, which was one of the largest exporters of Flemish art. This is one of the reasons why this artist's output was commonly done on copper as it was a stronger medium for export. Forchondt had an office in Seville where, through the port of Cadiz, works were shipped to Mexico and sold to local convents.
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