Mary Magdalen Washing Christ's Feet: P.14995-R

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Mary Magdalen Washing Christ's Feet
Houghton Gallery

Maker(s)

Printmaker: Earlom, Richard
Publisher: Boydell, John
Painter: Rubens, Peter Paul (After)

Entities

Description

After the painting which is now attributed to both Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) and Sir Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641), who was employed in his master's studio at this date (between 1618 and 1620; The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg [as, 'Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee'] acquired in 1779 from the Robert Walpole collection at Houghton Hall, ??-479). A feast scene around a table with Simon the Pharisee seated to the left and Christ to the right. Other Pharisees are seated around the table to left and centre and disciples to around Christs to the right. Servants bring plates and baskets of food to and from the table at the far left. The low viewpoint propels Mary Magdalen to the fore as she kneels at lower centre, cradling Christ's right foot in her hands which she washes with her tears and dries with her hair.

Legal notes

Bequeathed by the Rev. R. E. Kerrich, 1872 (received 1873)

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1873) by Kerrich, Richard Edward

Dating

18th Century#
Production date: 1777-08-01 AD 1777

Note

Mezzotint with etching, printed in black ink and with generous margins. As published. With printmaker's initials, 'RE' burnished into the image at lower right. Lettered with artists' names in the margin at lower left: 'Rubens Pinxit. / G. Farington delin.t' and lower right: 'Rich.d. Earlom Sculpsit.'. Publisher's details and title engraved to either side of the Earl of Orford's arms: 'John Boydell excudit 1777' / [in closed roman capitals] 'MARY MAGDALEN WASHING CHRIST'S FEET. / [in engraved italics] In the Salon at Houghton / Size of the picture 6f, 3/4i by 8f 2i in length ... Published Aug.t 1st 1777 by John Boydell Engraver in Cheapside London'. Inscribed in graphite in the margins at lower right: '59 / Kerrich / N. 53' and at upper right in large script: '353'. An impression of the first state before title is in the first of the two Boydell Houghton volumes bequeathed in 1816 by Lord Fitzwilliam; 'A Set of Prints Engraved after the Most Capital Paintings in the Collection of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress of Russia, Lately in the Possession of the Earl of Orford at Houghton in Norfolk, Volume 1'. See, 31.K.7-56.

School or Style

British

Techniques used in production

Mezzotint
Etching

Identification numbers

Accession number: P.14995-R
Primary reference Number: 240042
Wessely (Earlom): 73.II
Nagler (Künstler-Lexicon): 4.53 (p.53)
Lugt: L.1568
Voorhelm Schneevoogt: 29.154
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