Heilige Familie

According to Lebrun's provenance statement, the painting was probably painted for Charles Gruyn des Bordes, Commissaire des Guerres and builder of the Hôtel de Lauzun on the Ile Saint-Louis. Of the numerous 'Holy Families' by Rubens, an earlier, vertical-format composition that came to San Francisco from the collection of the Dukes of Devonshire and burned there in 1909 was closest to the present painting, which opens more loosely in width, in keeping with the stylistic development. Julius Held suggests in his report a dating around 1628. Michael Jaffé sees a similarity of the Christ Child with Frans Rubens (*1633); Reinhold Baumstark thinks rather of the early 1630s, but the painterly facture seems to us too closed for a late dating. The painting must have been fairly well known until the 19th century; several old copies exist and it was sold through the most reputable dealers until it entered the important collection of James Morrison. Since the First World War it was practically inaccessible. In recent decades major works by Poussin, among others, emerged from it. Source