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Crucifixion of Christ

Anonymous1440/1450

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
Rotterdam, Netherlands

A mysterious drawing.
In 1971 W.A. Hofman bought a drawing depicting the ‘Crucifixion of Christ’ at a house-clearance auction in Slochteren for ten guilders. The image reminded him of a painting by Jan van Eyck and he believed the drawing must date from the same period. It remained almost completely unknown until 2012, when it was included in the exhibition‘The Road to Van Eyck’. Following extensive research, Hofman was vindicated: it is indeed an exceptionally important work from the fifteenth century. But precisely who made it and when is still the subject of intense discussion among art historians. It is one of the most spectacular discoveries in the field of early Dutch drawing in recent decades.

Details

  • Title: Crucifixion of Christ
  • Creator: Anonymous
  • Date Created: 1440/1450
  • Physical Dimensions: 254 x 187 mm
  • Artist Information: Jan van Eyck worked at various royal courts, and was, for example, court painter to Philip the Good of Burgundy. It is suggested that Jan van Eyck discovered oil paint, however this technique was known earlier, but he perfected the technique of working with oil paint. He became famous for his technical skills. He used very clear oil to make the paint and applied the colours in different, almost transparent layers. In this way he achieved intense colours and could work in great detail. There are around thirty works known by Van Eyck.
  • Type: Drawing
  • Rights: Purchase with support of: Vereniging Rembrandt (met dank aan het Dura Kunstfonds) , Stichting Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Mondriaan Fonds, VSB Fonds 2014
  • Medium: goldpoint, silverpoint, pen and black ink on prepared paper

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