by Felicity BrunswickUnlike most galleries, Christ Church Picture Gallery does not present any grand classicised façade but is simply accessed through a modest and inconspicuously labelled door. When bookshelves displaced the bays in which many of Christ Church’s paintings were previously hung, the decision was made to build a gallery in which to house the college’s extensive collection of art. On the completion of this new Picture Gallery in May 1968, the building was praised by critics for its “unobtrusive” nature; such that “even the most conservative of dons could hardly complain that it clashed with the gems of architecture surrounding it”. Yet, with this indeed being the case, it is hardly surprising how many people fail to notice it is even there and so sadly pass by the treasures inside.
The majority of the paintings are displayed in two main rooms and are predominantly Italian. The first contains pieces from the 14th to early 16th century, including works by such esteemed masters as Sandro Botticelli and Fillippo Lippi. This room leads on to a second, larger room that is mainly composed of paintings from the Baroque period, and it is in this room that some of the better-known pieces are located such as The Butcher’s Shop, by Annibale Carracci (1560-1609). With its grand scale, gruesome subject matter, and various possibilities for interpretation (as a ground-breaking still life, a personal piece with biographical reference or perhaps as an allegorical depiction of biblical significance) it has attracted particular attention and study.
An equally impressive Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641) depicting The Continence of Scipio holds the central point of focus as one enters the room from the corridor and vividly coveys the bold theatricality of this artistically exuberant period. Next to this frame, however, hangs another of Van Dyck’s works, which would not, perhaps, be so widely recognised. Sketched in oils on canvas, the Soldier on Horseback depicts the solitary motif emerging with vigour from a vague background furnished only with a modest green-brown wash. This piece has, up until recently, been considered an ‘oil sketch’ – a preparatory sketch made to plot out forms for a larger oil painting (such as Mars Going to War, displayed in a viewing cabinet in the same room). However, this particular sketch does not seem to fit the typical criteria of an oil sketch, being both too large and displaying only a fragment of a greater composition. Therefore, it seems more likely that this is, in fact, an underpainting, cut from a larger work. Furthermore, evidence suggests that the Louvre’s version of The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian is the original canvas from which the Christ Church section was removed. Recognised for its worth as an independent piece of work, the Soldier on Horseback was retained, collected and today, displayed as a glorious success of the artist’s dexterity, as exciting and captivating as the resultant painting from which it was sacrificed to profit.
This gallery holds a vast hoard of such fascinating artefacts. Extending back, the corridor, lined with still more paintings, leads to a small room displaying different selections of some of the many drawing kept in storage throughout the year (16th and 17th century drawings from Bologna are showing at present). Christ Church Picture Gallery is positively brimming with art, and so, though it is small, it never stagnates, stationed next to the college library as a continual source of interest and discovery.
