A striking painting stolen over 40 years ago goes on display in Scotland for the first time

Discover the striking double portrait painting of featured artists Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, recently returned to Chatsworth a staggering 45 years after it was stolen.

Article Source: National Galleries of Scotland
Last Updated: 7 November 2024 15:00

Opening Saturday 9th November

For the first time ever in Scotland, experience one of the finest and most significant collections of drawings and watercolours direct from Chatsworth in Derbyshire. Exclusive to the National Galleries of Scotland, Dürer to Van Dyck: Drawings from Chatsworth House will take over the lower galleries of the Royal Scottish Academy building.

As part of the exhibition discover the striking double portrait painting of featured artists Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, recently returned to Chatsworth a staggering 45 years after it was stolen. This intricate artwork by Flemish artist Erasmus Quellinus II was taken whilst on loan to an art gallery in Eastbourne in 1979. The painting was remarkably tracked down by the Belgian art historian, Bert Schepers, who identified it at a small regional auction house in Toulon, France in 2021. Since then, a team who specialise in recovering lost artworks worked hard to get it back to its owner. The double portrait was reinstated at Chatsworth earlier this year and will make its Scottish debut as part of Dürer to Van Dyck: Drawings from Chatsworth House.

Local artist, The Edinburgh Sketcher, joined the team at the National Galleries of Scotland to draw up his own version of the exhibition.

Bringing the magic and beauty of Chatsworth’s outstanding collection of drawings to the heart of Edinburgh, visitors will enjoy a unique opportunity to view almost 50 beautiful and rarely seen drawings by some of the most famous names in European art, including Albrecht Dürer, Hans Holbein the Younger, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt van Rijn and Anthony van Dyck. Not one to miss, this will be the only chance to see Dürer to Van Dyck: Drawings from Chatsworth House anywhere in the world, with all but two of the artworks on display in Scotland for the first time ever.

Explore the intricacy of some of the most important Flemish, Dutch, Early Netherlandish, and German drawings and watercolours from the Devonshire Collections, in a dazzling display spanning from 1500 to 1700. Travel along the idyllic banks of the River Amstel and spot the windmills in Rembrandt’s View on the Amsteldijk at Meerhuizen, Looking Towards the Little Windmill (1648-50). Join the thrill of the chase and engage in epic moments of battle with Anthony van Dyck in works such as A Wolf and Fox Hunt (1616-17) and Horatius Cocles Defending the Tiber Bridge (1618-21). Witness iconic biblical scenes as realised by Peter Paul Rubens in Five Groups of Figures for a Last Supper (Christ Announcing his Betrayal) (1601), Adam and Eve (1520) by Jan Gossart and the ethereal The Virgin and Child with the Infant St John (1516-18) by Albrecht Dürer, the earliest drawing on display.

Home to the Devonshire family for almost five centuries, Chatsworth is renowned for its Grade I listed house, romantic sprawling grounds and one of the most significant private art collections in Europe. From holding Mary, Queen of Scots captive in the 16th century, to playing the fictional home of Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy, Chatsworth has been an important backdrop to some of the most significant moments throughout history and popular culture. The core of this collection was assembled by the 2nd Duke of Devonshire in the early 18th century.

Tico Seifert, Senior Curator of Northern European Art at the National Galleries of Scotland said: “This exciting partnership with Chatsworth presents a rare opportunity to bring a world-renowned collection of drawings to Edinburgh for the first time. Dürer to Van Dyck: Drawings from Chatsworth House spans two hundred years of exceptional artworks by many of the best-known names in the art world, and it invites an intimate look at some of the most beautiful drawings they ever created. It’s a privilege that the National Galleries of Scotland becomes the first and only venue to display these timeless works of art in this specially crafted exhibition and we cannot wait to share it with our visitors.”

Alice Martin, Head of the Devonshire Collections said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the National Galleries of Scotland on this exhibition. We are always looking at ways to increase access to the Devonshire Collections, especially for those unable to visit Chatsworth, and share works with new audiences. We hope that people will take the opportunity to visit the Royal Scottish Academy and enjoy this wonderful collection of drawings and watercolours.”

Dürer to Van Dyck: Drawings from Chatsworth House, a National Galleries of Scotland exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy, is yours to discover from Saturday 9 November 2024. Tickets available Here

Tickets £4-£14 Friends go free

Image: Tico Seifert, Senior Curator of European & Scottish Art & Portraiture at the National Galleries of Scotland with the recovered painting, A Double Portrait of Sir Peter Paul Rubens and Sir Anthony Van Dyck by Erasmus Quellinus II (1607-1678), 1640s or 1650s. © The Devonshire Collections, Chatsworth. Reproduced by permission of Chatsworth Settlement Trustees.

Image Credit: Neil Hanna

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