Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665), Follower of - La morte di Lucrezia - NO RESERVE

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

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

The canvas depicts the culminating episode of the transition of ancient Rome from monarchy to republic: the suicide of the Roman heroine Lucretia, following the affront suffered from Sextus Tarquin. The main characters are arranged horizontally in the foreground, in a compositional setup that recalls ancient bas-reliefs, particularly congenial to Nicolas Poussin’s classicist poetics. In the background, a strictly monumental architecture, punctuated by pilasters and fluted columns, emerges from the shadows, giving the scene a solemn and theatrical character.
The lifeless body of Lucretia lies on the ground, wrapped in a dark green tunic that accentuates the deathly pallor of the complexion. On her chest is clearly visible the wound caused by the weapon with which she took her own life. An ancillary figure—or, more likely, a household female relative—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 golden armor in the antique style, with a crested helmet adorned with scarlet plumes and a long red cloak. The character performs a theatrical and assertive gesture, raising his left arm toward his companions and the surrounding soldiers, as if urging them to swear revenge and rise up against the tyranny of the Tarquins. Beside him are visible armed figures, some bearing a red banner and swords.
The painting shows a clear stylistic and formal indebtedness to the models of the Roman seventeenth-century classicism, inaugurated by Nicolas Poussin and subsequently reworked by his direct and indirect followers. The emphasis on the morality of the historical episode, the predominance of red tones in the cloaks, the use of dramatic but carefully controlled chiaroscuro, and the balance of figures and anatomies all link the work to the figurative Classicist culture destined, between the 17th and 18th centuries, to the chamber paintings of the nobility and the educated European elite.

Nicolas Poussin was born on June 15, 1594 in Les Andelys, Normandy. After moving to Paris, he first trained in the workshop of the Flemish painter Ferdinand Elle and later with Georges Lallemand. During his Parisian formative years he came into contact with French Mannerist culture, particularly that of the Fontainebleau school, and studied the Italian Renaissance tradition, looking especially to Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael.
In March 1624, after a stay in Venice, Poussin reached Rome, where he settled and developed the most significant part of his career. Although not adhering to the Caravaggisti, he deepened the Venetian tradition of the 16th century painting, showing particular admiration for Titian’s work, together with the 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 tasked with supervising some important decorative projects tied 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 the hands that in the final years gradually limited his activity, Poussin continued to paint until the last years of his life. He died in Rome on November 19, 1665.

FACILITY REPORT
From close observation of the painting surface, the conservation status of the work can be defined as generally fair, with alterations attributable to the normal aging processes of an old painting, hypothetically dating to the late 17th or early 18th century.
A widespread yellowing of the surface protective varnish is observed, a phenomenon that alters the original perception of the color range, reducing the freshness of the cooler tones and accentuating the brownish component of the shadows. This alteration particularly affects the architectural backgrounds and the shadowed areas of the garments and causes a slight loss of depth and readability of the chiaroscuro relationships.
Throughout the entire surface a physiological craquelure is also visible, fine and apparently stable, attributable to natural aging processes and to the differential tensions between the textile support, the preparatory layers and the pictorial film.
The good legibility of the mid-tones of the flesh tones and of the chromatic and material details, such as the pallor of Lucretia’s skin and the golden highlights of the armor on the foreground figure, could indicate the absence of particularly aggressive cleaning interventions. The preservation of tonal transitions and glazes suggests that the pictorial film has remained, at least in part, with its original stratification.
The painting in the photo shows evident signs of lifting, distortion and loosening of the canvas, which no longer appears taut on the stretcher and displays conspicuous "waves" or "crests" on the painted surface.
These structural problems are generally related to thermo-hygrometric variations (sudden changes in humidity and temperature) or to the natural deterioration 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 operate from the back on the tension wedges of the frame (if a keyed stretcher is present) to restore the proper tension and eliminate the waves.
• Relay (or re-lining): If the original canvas is now weakened, degraded or too deformed to support the paint layer, it is necessary to apply a new support canvas to the back (using traditional adhesives like paste glue or vacuum-soured synthetic resins). This process restores flatness and structural stability to the entire work.
• Fixing the pictorial film: Before any tensioning operation, portions of color at risk of detachments or cracking due to the deformations are consolidated and fixed to the support with specific adhesives to prevent pigment loss.

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

PROVENANCE: Private Collection

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

If sold outside Italian territory, the buyer must await the processing times for export procedures.