This painting, produced by Peter Paul Rubens in about 1625 as one of the designs for a series of tapestries, can be seen in the Prado Museum in Madrid, and is now known as “The Triumph of Divine Love“. The appetite for finding and identifying lost paintings is still with us today in such television programmes as Fake or Fortune and Britain’s Lost Masterpieces.
“Singular DISCOVERY of a PICTURE by RUBENS. – A few weeks ago, at the sale of Mr. J.E. Pearson’s effects, at Sheffield, an old picture in which no figure was discernable was knocked down for 1s. 9d. : It was afterwards purchased of the byer for 5s., and the new possessor proceeded to wash it, which caused several of the figures to appear while wet. This led to a resolution to send it to London to be cleaned, and the old varnish being removed, it turned out to be a very fine old picture. It was returned to Sheffield, with an offer of 160 guineas for it, and the biddings have since advanced to 350 guineas, at which price, however, it is not to be had. The picture consists of a fine female figure standing upon a car drawn by a lion ; one child nestles in her bosom, others cling to her robes, others follow her car, while one rides a lion : several other rotund little ones with cherub wings fly about her. The style of the painting and some other internal evidence have satisfied several eminent connoisseurs that it is a genuine Rubens : and this is confirmed by an old etching of the picture, which is called ‘the triumph of Christianity, by Rubens.’ This prize is in the possession of Mr. Sawyer, wine-merchant, of High-street, Doncaster, where it has been seen by many persons. The best judges speak of it in very high terms, and the probability is that the biddings for it have by no means reached their maximum. – Doncaster Gaz.”
The Stamford Mercury, 23rd June 1843