Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665), Follower of - La morte di Lucrezia

Follower of NICOLAS POUSSIN
(Les Andelys, 1594 – Rome, 1665)
The Death of Lucretia
Oil on canvas, cm. 81 x 84

NOTE: Publication catalog of works in the Intermidiart collection (pdf). Unsigned work. Certificate of Guarantee and Legitimate Provenance. Work without frame:

The canvas depicts the culminating episode in the transition of ancient Rome from monarchy to Republic: the suicide of the Roman heroine Lucretia, following the outrage suffered at the hands of Sextus Tarquin. The principal characters are arranged horizontally in the foreground, in a compositional setup reminiscent of ancient reliefs, particularly suited to Nicolas Poussin’s classicist aesthetic. In the background, a strict monumental architecture, defined by engaged columns and fluted columns, emerges from the shadows, lending the scene a solemn and theatrical character.

Lucretia’s lifeless body lies on the ground, wrapped in a dark green tunic that heightens the mortal pallor of the flesh. On the chest is clearly visible the wound caused by the weapon with which the woman took her own life. An ancillary figure, or more likely a family member, supports her, surrendering to tears and underscoring the dramatic nature of the episode.

The group of Romans reacts to the event with agitation. The figure of Lucius Junius Brutus stands out – or, according to an alternative interpretation, Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus – depicted in a majestic suit of ancient golden armor, with a crested helmet adorned with scarlet feathers and a long red cloak. The figure makes a theatrical and assertive gesture, raising the left arm toward the companions and the surrounding soldiers, as if urging them to swear vengeance and rise up against the tyranny of the Tarquins. Beside him there are armed figures, some bearing a red banner and swords.

The painting shows a clear stylistic and formal dependence on the models of the seventeenth-century Roman classicism, inaugurated by Nicolas Poussin and later reworked by his direct and indirect followers. The emphasis on the morality of the historical episode, the prevalence of red tones in the cloaks, the use of dramatic but carefully controlled chiaroscuro, and the balance of figures and anatomies all place the work within the figurative classicist culture meant, between the 17th and 18th centuries, for the noble houses and European educated elite.

Nicolas Poussin was born on 15 June 1594 in Les Andelys, Normandy. After moving to Paris, he trained first in the workshop of the Flemish painter Ferdinand Elle and later with Georges Lallemand. During his Parisian formation he came into contact with French Mannerist culture, especially the Fontainebleau school, and studied the Italian Renaissance tradition, looking in particular at Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael.

In March 1624, after a stay in Venice, Poussin arrived in Rome, where he settled and developed the most significant part of his career. Although he did not adhere to the Caravaggesque trend, he deepened the tradition of Venetian painting of the sixteenth century, showing particular admiration for Titian, along with study of sculpture and ancient art and the great masters of the Renaissance.

In 1640 Poussin was recalled to Paris at the invitation of King Louis XIII and commissioned to oversee several important decorative projects related to the court and the Louvre. After about two years, however, he returned to Rome, where he spent the rest of his life.

Despite health problems, including a tremor in his hands that in later years gradually limited his activity, Poussin continued painting until the end of his life. He died in Rome on 19 November 1665.

FACILITY REPORT
From close observation of the paint surface, the conservation state of the work can be defined as broadly fair, with alterations attributable to the normal aging processes of an old painting, hypothetically dating to the late 17th or early 18th century.
There is widespread yellowing of the superficial protective varnish, a phenomenon that alters the original perception of the color range, reducing the brightness of the cooler tones and enhancing the brown component of the shadows. This alteration especially affects the architectural backgrounds and the shadowed areas of the garments and causes a slight loss of depth and readability of the chiaroscuro relationships.
Across the entire surface there is also visible a physiological craquelure, fine and apparently stable, attributable to natural aging processes and to differential tensions between the textile support, the preparatory layers, and the painting film.
The good legibility of the mid-tones of the flesh tones and the chromatic and material details, such as the pallor of Lucretia’s flesh and the golden highlights of the foreground character’s armor, could indicate the absence of particularly aggressive cleaning interventions. The preservation of tonal transitions and glazes suggests that the painting layer has retained, at least in part, its original stratification.
The painting in the photo shows evident signs of lifting, warping, and loosening of the canvas, which no longer appears taut on the frame and presents noticeable "waves" or "crests" on the painted surface.
These structural problems are generally linked to thermo-hygrometric variations (humidity and temperature swings) or to the natural weakening of textile fibers over time. Here are the main restoration interventions indicated for this situation:
• Tensioning or pretensioning: If the support is still robust and flexible, the restorer can intervene from the back, acting on the tensioning wedges of the frame (if a keyed frame is present) to restore proper tension to the canvas and eliminate the waves.
• Re-lining: In case the original canvas is now weakened, degraded, or too deformed to support the painted layer, it is necessary to apply a new backing canvas to the back (using traditional adhesives like paste glue or reseamed synthetic resins under vacuum). This process restores flatness and structural stability to the entire work.
• Fixing the painting film: Before any tensioning operation, portions of color that risk detaching or cracking due to the deformations are consolidated and affixed to the support with specific adhesives to prevent pigment loss.

The frame should be replaced during a relining intervention. The current canvas dimensions are 81 × 84 cm.
The painting is sold without a frame, although it is complemented by a beautiful wooden frame.

PROVENANCE: Private Collection

PUBLICATION:
- UNPUBLISHED QUADRENERA, General Catalog of the paintings in the Intermidiart Gallery collection by Andrea Maggio, 2026 (pdf).

If sold outside the Italian territory, the buyer must wait for the export procedures to be completed.