DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61252#0316
272
THE GROSVENOR GALLERY.
[The four colossal pictures which follow, were painted
when Rubens was in Spain, in 1629. They belong to a
series of nine, which till the year 1808, were in the Car-
melite convent of Loeches, near Madrid, founded by the
Duke d’Olivarez, to whom they were presented by his
sovereign, Philip IV. These four were sold by the French
to M. de Bourke, then Danish minister at the court of
Madrid, who brought them to England, and they were
purchased from him by Lord Westminster, in the year
1818 for 10,000Z. Two other pictures of the series, the
“ Triumph of the Christian Religion,” and “ Elijah fed by
the Ravens,” now in the Louvre, were presented to the
French commandant at Loeches, in consideration of his
affording military aid in carrying off the pictures from
the convent, the people of the town having risen to oppose
this act of spoliation. Another, the “ Triumph of Charity,”
was in 1830 in the possession of Mr. Joshua Taylor. The
other two, the “ Triumph of the Church,” and the “ Vic-
tory of Christianity over Paganism,” seem to have re-
mained at Loeches. The nine original sketches for these
works, formerly in the new palace at Madrid, are now
dispersed in various English collections. J
117 Abraham and Melchisedek.—A very dramatic com-
position of nineteen figures. C. 14 ft. by 19 ft.*
U8 The Israelites gathering the Manna.—Moses
returns thanks. Seven figures. In this picture the twisted
columns and the figure of the woman with the basket on
her head, are imitated from Raphael’s cartoon of the
Beautiful Gate. C. 16 ft. by 13 ft.
119 The Four Evangelists—in a procession, each accom-
panied by his emblem. They go forth “ to preach the
gospel to every creature.” C. 14 ft. by 14 ft. 6 in.f
120 The Fathers of the Church—St. Gregory, St. Am-
brose, St. Augustine, and St. Jerome, (in the cardinal’s
* The original sketch was sold in the collection of Lady Stuart in 1841, for
5Q8L
t The original sketch is, in 1843, in the possession of James Morrison, Esq.
THE GROSVENOR GALLERY.
[The four colossal pictures which follow, were painted
when Rubens was in Spain, in 1629. They belong to a
series of nine, which till the year 1808, were in the Car-
melite convent of Loeches, near Madrid, founded by the
Duke d’Olivarez, to whom they were presented by his
sovereign, Philip IV. These four were sold by the French
to M. de Bourke, then Danish minister at the court of
Madrid, who brought them to England, and they were
purchased from him by Lord Westminster, in the year
1818 for 10,000Z. Two other pictures of the series, the
“ Triumph of the Christian Religion,” and “ Elijah fed by
the Ravens,” now in the Louvre, were presented to the
French commandant at Loeches, in consideration of his
affording military aid in carrying off the pictures from
the convent, the people of the town having risen to oppose
this act of spoliation. Another, the “ Triumph of Charity,”
was in 1830 in the possession of Mr. Joshua Taylor. The
other two, the “ Triumph of the Church,” and the “ Vic-
tory of Christianity over Paganism,” seem to have re-
mained at Loeches. The nine original sketches for these
works, formerly in the new palace at Madrid, are now
dispersed in various English collections. J
117 Abraham and Melchisedek.—A very dramatic com-
position of nineteen figures. C. 14 ft. by 19 ft.*
U8 The Israelites gathering the Manna.—Moses
returns thanks. Seven figures. In this picture the twisted
columns and the figure of the woman with the basket on
her head, are imitated from Raphael’s cartoon of the
Beautiful Gate. C. 16 ft. by 13 ft.
119 The Four Evangelists—in a procession, each accom-
panied by his emblem. They go forth “ to preach the
gospel to every creature.” C. 14 ft. by 14 ft. 6 in.f
120 The Fathers of the Church—St. Gregory, St. Am-
brose, St. Augustine, and St. Jerome, (in the cardinal’s
* The original sketch was sold in the collection of Lady Stuart in 1841, for
5Q8L
t The original sketch is, in 1843, in the possession of James Morrison, Esq.