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Le Coup de Lance

Copyist: Reinagle, Ramsay Richard, RA(forfeit) · 1775-1862Primary artist: Rubens, Peter Paul, Sir · 1577-1640

Le Coup de Lance

One of at least three life size copies in oil executed by Reinagle after various works by Rubens, painted in situ before the original at Antwerp, at…

One of at least three life size copies in oil executed by Reinagle after various works by Rubens, painted in situ before the original at Antwerp, at some point between his arrival in the Netherlands in 1796 and his return to London in 1798.

The present work was first exhibited in London in 1819 in Mr Allen's Rubens Gallery, 61 Pall Mall, London, and again at the Royal Bazaar, 73 Oxford St, London, in August 1830 (cat.15);

From its creation to the picture remained in Reinagle's possession until 1831 when he sold his collection in the saleroom of Edward Foster,54 Pall Mall London, on 6 May 1831, lot 96. The final lot, it was knocked down for 68 guineas [£71.8/-] to an unknown buyer.

A little over a year later it reappeared on the market, this time sold by John Henfree, auctioneer, on the premises 10 Norway Place, opposite Cumberland Street, Hackney Road, London on 16 October 1832 by direction of the proprietor quitting the premises "a fine gallery painting of the Crucifixion by Rubens"

It next came on the market in a sale of 6 November 1843 at the Union Gallery, Slater St, Liverpool; "Altar Piece for a Church &c, The Crucifixion by Rubens is valued at fifty thousand pounds. A faithful copy warranted by R R Reinagle Esq RA painted at Antwerp from the original The same size 14 feet by 10 will be sold a bargain One Hundred Guineas. May be seen in the Hall of the Mechanics Institution."

Its final sale came at Christie & Manson, at their Great Rooms, King Street, St James' Square, London on St Valentine's Day 1845 and the following day..."the admirable copy by Reinagle RA from the celebrated Crucifixion of Rubens."

The purchaser on this occasion may have been the Mrs Robertson of Ednam House, Kelso who offered the picture to the Royal Scottish Academy as a gift, in 1851.

Its acquisition by the Academy marks it as the first copy painting after an Old Master to enter the collections. In this regard it is of extreme importance in the efforts of the Academy towards introducing colour copies into its teaching collection.

Over the next few years this would expand to include related paintings by Haussoullier, Etty and Herdman, in addition to the extensive collection of chromolithographs it secured as a subscriber to the Arundel Society.