The Flight of Lot and His Family from Sodom (after Rubens)

The scene of Lot and his family fleeing the sinful city of Sodom at the behest of two angels is based on the Old Testament Book of Genesis:19. The hesitating figure of Lot is shown in the center with his wife seen in profile to his left and his two daughters, trying to carry their riches with them, behind him to the right. They are shown in a gloomy unsettled scene as Lot abandons his position in the town in accordance with an order from God. The pillar seen in the central back section of the composition prefigures the fate of Lot's wife, who is turned into a pillar of salt when she looks back at the city.There are three other known works that have essentially the same dimensions and composition as this work (Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida; Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, Florida; Private collection). A comparison of the details of these works was thought to be a good method of clarifying Rubens's studio methods, and thus in the summer of 1993 a study exhibition entitled The Flight of Lot and his Family from Sodom: Rubens and his Workshop was held at the NMWA. The exhibition brought together the NMWA work alongside the two oil paintings from the Bass and Ringling museums, a reproduction engraving of the composition by Lucas Vorsterman, and preparatory sketches for the engraving. The details of the works were surveyed during the exhibition, opinions were exchanged by specialists from the NMWA and other institutions, and the following was clarified. In spite of the fact that the Ringling work includes some student work in its secondary elements, it is overwhelmingly superior in quality and can be considered an original work by Rubens. The Bass work is probably a studio work based on the Ringling work. The NMWA painting has more stereotyped expression in such areas as the beards and angel wings, sections that would have allowed a master's talents to shine, and thus it is thought that the NMWA work is a studio work created under the direction of Rubens. However, in many areas the NMWA work differs from the Ringling painting. Thus, while not yet confirmed, the theory regarding the NMWA work that has the greatest support today is R-A. d'Hulst's view that this painting was from the earliest period of Jacob Jordaens, a young collaborator of Rubens, particularly based on the vigorous depiction of the bodies and the cool, pale lavender tones used in the work. (Source: Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2009, cat. no. 28)