Irbit State Museum recognized the painting as Rubens original Automatic translate

Yesterday in the Sverdlovsk region, in the Irbit State Museum of Fine Arts, the general public was presented with a picture that, according to some experts, may belong to the brush of Peter Paul Rubens. For many years, a painting called "Penitent Mary Magdalene with Sister Martha" was considered a copy.

Peter Paul Rubens - Penitent Mary Magdalene with sister Martha
(Museum of the History of Art, Vienna)

Attributed to Rubens - Penitent Mary Magdalene with sister Martha
(Irbit State Museum of Fine Arts)

In 1976, the painting was transferred to the Irbit Museum from the Hermitage funds, where it has been stored since 1931 as a copy of Rubens’ work. Prior to this, the canvas belonged to the famous St. Petersburg doctor, Professor Alexander Jacobson. The painting is dated 1615-1620 years.

In his interview, the director of the Irbitsky Pushkin Museum, Valery Karpov, said that the picture was subjected to a thorough chemical examination, which confirmed the hypothesis based on the visual inspection of the picture. As Karpov noted, the image contains many details that simply could not be made by a copyist. In the Irbit Museum, the painting goes through a series of restoration works, during which some details and technical techniques characteristic of the Rubens style were discovered. However, there are currently no other official expert opinions regarding the authenticity of the picture.

Hermitage Deputy General Director Vladimir Matveev has already suggested that Irbit researchers submit their hypothesis to the scientific community for consideration at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

A painting of the same name is kept in the collection. Museum of Art History in Vienna . At the moment, it is she who is considered the original work of Rubens.

Anna Sidorova

Irbit State Museum of Fine Arts
Address: 623856, Sverdlovsk region, Irbit, st. Elizariev, 28-V
Entrance for individual visitors is free
Website of Valery Andreyevich Karpov, General Director of the Irbitsky Pushkin Museum