Private Old Master
By Private Old Master
Categories: Arts, Visual Arts
Private Old Master investigates unresolved questions surrounding historical paintings through technical examination, provenance research, archival evidence and art-historical comparison. The first series, The Painting Beneath the Painting, follows the investigation of a historical Cimon and Pero, also known as Roman Charity. One painting. Many questions. Follow the evidence.
11 episodes indexed on PodSearch.
Recent episodes
- Episode 10 | Five Compositions
At least five related compositions of Cimon and Pero survive in paintings, drawings and prints.Among them are the version in the Hermitage, dated to around 1610, and a drawing made by Willem Panneels around 1628. Their similarities suggest a shared visual tradition, but their exact chronological…
- Episode 9 | The Engraving
A historical engraving by Cornelis van Caukercken preserves another version of the Cimon and Pero composition.The print refers to Gillis van den Bosch, adding a new name and another layer to the painting’s complex history.This episode compares the engraving with the surviving compositions and…
- Episode 8 | The Amsterdam Trail
Historical records trace a painting of Cimon and Pero through Amsterdam between 1729 and 1825.Descriptions, sale catalogues and ownership records appear to form a possible provenance trail. But do they all refer to the same painting?This episode follows the documented Amsterdam references and…
- Episode 7 | The Amsterdam Version
A related painting of Cimon and Pero is held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and attributed to the workshop of Peter Paul Rubens.Technical research dates its original composition to around 1635, while also identifying elements that were added later.This episode examines the Amsterdam version, its…
- Episode 6 | Pentimenti
Beneath the visible surface, technical imaging revealed changes made during the painting process.The positions of figures and details were reconsidered as the composition developed. These pentimenti provide evidence of an active creative process and invite comparison with other works, including…
- Episode 5 | The Materials
Pigments, ground layers and binding media can help establish when and how a painting was made.Technical examinations found a material profile consistent with early seventeenth-century painting practice. But compatibility with a historical period is not the same as proof of authorship.This episode…
- Episode 4 | The Date 1604
An inscription on the painting has been interpreted as including “P.P. Rubens” and the date “1604”.But inscriptions must be examined as physical evidence, not accepted as proof on sight.This episode compares the different readings recorded during the technical investigations in Budapest and…
- Episode 3 | Number 141
In the 1640 inventory of Peter Paul Rubens’ estate, a painting of Cimon and Pero appears as number 141.But which painting did this entry describe?This episode follows the historical record, examines the surviving related compositions and explores whether the missing inventory painting can be…
- Episode 2 | The Guards Beneath the Surface
Two guards are visible in the painting. But technical imaging suggests that they did not always look the way they do today.In Episode 2 of The Painting Beneath the Painting, we examine the guards and the changes discovered beneath the visible paint surface.Infrared examination reveals an earlier…
- Episode 1 | The Name on the Painting
A name. A date. And a painting that raises more questions than it answers.In Episode 1 of The Painting Beneath the Painting, we begin with the inscription found on a historical painting of Cimon and Pero, also known as Roman Charity.Technical investigations in Budapest and Maastricht examined the…
- Official Trailer | The Painting Beneath the Painting
A seventeenth-century painting. A disputed inscription. Two technical investigations. Hidden changes beneath the surface.The Painting Beneath the Painting follows the evidence surrounding a historical painting of Cimon and Pero, also known as Roman Charity.One painting. Many questions. Follow the…
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