(Antwerp 1601–1678) and (Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp)
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
oil on panel, 67 x 81 cm, framed

We are grateful to Klaus Ertz for confirming the attribution of the present painting after examining it in the original (written communication). Dr. Ertz believes the figures to have been executed by Rubens himself, assisted by his workshop.

Ertz writes: “This panel is further proof of the collaboration between the two Flemish painters Jan Brueghel the Younger and Peter Paul Rubens. Jan the Younger met the latter in the studio of his father, Jan Brueghel the Elder, who frequently worked together with his painter friend. The collaboration between the son and Rubens only began after the death of the father in 1625 […]. That Peter Paul Rubens, the greatest figure specialist of all, teamed up with Jan the Younger must surely be attributed to the latter’s own high level of quality, as well as to the bond of close friendship that had tied the father to his famous friend throughout his lifetime. Even if, in my opinion, the figures seem not to have been executed in their entirety by the master– the garments appear to have been painted by workshop collaborators – I have no doubt that such important parts as the heads and hands were executed by the master’s own hand. The rest was probably painted by his assistants under his supervision.”

In terms of the colour scheme, painterly brushwork, and date of execution, Ertz has discovered similarities between the present picture and the following works by Jan Brueghel the Younger:

1. Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, collaborator: Peter Paul Rubens and workshop, c. 1630);
2. Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (English private collection, collaborator: artist from the circle of Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1630);
3. Noli me tangere (English private collection, collaborator: artist from the circle of Peter Paul Rubens, 1630s);
4. Noli me tangere (Kunsthalle, Bremen, collaborator: artist from the circle of Peter Paul Rubens, 1630s);
5. Noli me tangere (M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, collaborator: follower of Peter Paul Rubens, late 1630s)

On the basis of these comparisons, Ertz also dates the present painting into the 1630s.