Nicholas Poussin

The Cleaning and Conservation of The Burial of Phocion
Attributed to Nicolas Poussin, 1648-1649

November 2007 – March 2008


Press Release: Feb 2008  [PDF]
Art & Antiques June 2008 [PDF]

Nicolas Poussin defined French Baroque classicism in painting. With the exception of two years when he served as court painter to Louis XIII, Poussin spent his entire career in Rome, where he specialized in history paintings—scenes from ancient history, mythology and the Bible.  Burial of Phocion depicts the funeral of an Athenian general falsely accused of treason and forced to drink hemlock.  The painting is a memorial to Stoic virtue.

Acquired in 1949 on the advice of Alfred Barr, founding Director of The Museum of Modern Art, and displayed prominently in the Glass House since, the painting is one of only two artworks on view. The painting mediates the interior geometry of the Glass House and the tamed exterior landscape seen through its transparent walls.

There are three copies of the painting.  The others belong to the public collection of the Louvre in Paris, France and the private collection of the Earl of Plymouth of the County of Devon, England on long-term loan to the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff.  The authenticity of Johnson’s painting is an unanswered debate.  It was acquired from Julius H. Weitzner, a leading dealer in Old Masters paintings.  An undated handwritten authentication by Poussin scholar Walter Friedlander is on file, as are notes stating otherwise.  It is commonly agreed that the painting is de l’epoque, thus may be attributed to Poussin.

The primary objective of the 2007-08 treatment was to secure and to stabilize the surface.  Direct sunlight and fluctuating temperature and humidity create a formidable environment for the display of art in the Glass House.  Therefore, Johnson conserved the painting on a twelve year cycle.  However, its last treatment was in 1981.  By 2007, the painting experienced significant lifting, active loss, and severe blanching.  During its treatment, buildings and figures remerged, revealing an idealized landscape.

Burial of Phocion reveals Johnson’s Arcadian vision of landscape.  Summers spent on a family farm in Ohio during his childhood manifested in the Connecticut property as an artificial pond, created by damming a natural stream, and the studied placement of pavilions and buildings.  Selective removal of trees and undergrowth uncover soft rolling hills, while trunks pruned of branches accentuate tree height and allow sightlines deep into the property.  Old, preexisting stone walls further define areas within the estate grounds.

Conservator: Luca Bonetti, New York

Shipper: James Bourlet Inc., Long Island City, New York

 


 


 

 

 


 


 



 


 


 


 

 

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