Portrait of Cornelis van der Geest
The Portrait of Cornelis van der Geest is a panel painting by Anthony van Dyck from about 1620. The original panel and painting were expanded by other artists. X-rays of the painting revealed the additions. Between 1620 and 1796, the provenance of the painting was not documented. The painting was also cleaned and skinned.
In 1796 the painting was thought to be an image of Flemish diplomat Gaspar Gevartius. In 1864, the painting was purchased by the National Gallery in London as a work attributed to Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. The National Gallery later determined that it was a painting of Cornelis van der Geest by van Dyck.
Background
Around 1620, when the portrait was executed, van Dyck was 21 years old, and the subject of the painting, Cornelis van der Geest, was 65. It is one of van Dyck's earliest works but is considered a masterpiece. Van der Geest, a wealthy spice merchant from Antwerp, was an avid art collector and commissioned the painting. He was a prominent figure and patron of the arts.History
The painting is in the main collection of the National Gallery in London. From 1620 to 1796 its ownership was unknown; the known provenance begins with its sale at an auction in 1796, when it was thought to be an image of Gaspar Gevartius. In 1798 the painting was sold to Julius Angerstein at auction, and at the same auction a copy was sold as well. When Angerstein put the painting on display in 1815 he credited it to Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. In 1824 the painting was purchased by the National Gallery, and in 1864 they determined that the person in the image was Cornelis van der Geest and the artist was van Dyck.In 1948, the National Gallery cleaned and skinned the painting of its glazes. In 1950 it was cleaned again. The National Gallery is certain that the head and collar are the work of van Dyck, but they are uncertain about who painted the rest of the image. The painting is considered a "problem painting", both because the "skinning" may have harmed the original work and because of the large gap in its provenance. The use of X-ray technology has shown that the original painting may have been only the head inside a simulated oval frame, without the dark background. It is also clear that parts of the white ruffled collar were executed by a later artist. More wood was added to the bottom of the original oak-wood oval, probably in the 1630s, to expand the original face-only image to a bust. The National Gallery determined that this addition was not done by van Dyck.