The Department of Culture, Media, and Sport in the United Kingdom placed a temporary export bar on Cimon Falling in Love With Efigenia by Peter Paul Rubens, valued at £8.4 million.
The decision shows the government’s commitment to preserving the work of the Flemish artist for cultural gains. Arts Minister Sir Chris Bryant said,
“This work is the perfect example of Rubens’ artistic talent and gives us greater insight into Flemish art during the 17th century.”
“I hope that a UK gallery is able to save it so that the public can enjoy it for generations to come.”
Once owned by the first Duke of Buckingham, George Villiers (1592-1628), the painting is considered to have a historical connection with the region. Villiers was an avid art collector who admired the works of Peter Paul Rubens and owned many of them, including the real Cimon Falling in Love With Efigenia and the current version – a preparatory sketch for the real work.
Rubens is known for his extraordinary capabilities on canvas and is one of the most respected Flemish Baroque painters in the UK. His works are highly admired and displayed in national as well as private galleries.
Having said that, this oil sketch displays Rubens’ work from his earlier days. Unlike the real version that hangs in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, it is completely devised by the artist without any contributions from his studio assistants. Subjecting the literature elements of Italian writer and poet Giovanni Boccaccio, it exemplifies the artist’sinterest in the period’s literature and his conventions of forming such a delicate scene through precision- ethical and erotic. Further, it exhibits his understanding of painting female nudes during the earlier phases of his career and a clear depiction of sharpness instead of the mature application of sfumato in his later works. Mark Hallett, Committee Member, said,
“The longer one looks at and thinks about this picture, the more complex and challenging it becomes: the mark of all truly significant works of art. For these reasons, Cimon falling in Love with Efigenia demands to be found a permanent home in the UK, where it can be enjoyed and reflected upon for decades to come.”
Following the export bar, the export license application of the painting is put on hold till 15 September 2025. At the end of the first deferral period, the owner will have 15 days to consider any offers that shall be made for its purchase at the recommended price of £8,440,000 ($11,483,149). At last, a second deferral period will commence and include the signing of an option agreement and will last 6 months.
Featured Image: Cimon Falling in love with Efigenia by Peter Paul Rubens; Peter Paul Rubens, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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