Eloise Donnelly, National Gallery Curatorial Trainee, discusses the significance of a painting given to York in 1955.

With the festive season just passed, the giving and receiving of presents is at the forefront of our minds. Over the past 12 months I’ve been researching Lycett Green’s gift to York of 136 Old Masters, so this year my own present giving has seemed quite measly in comparison, especially because within Lycett Green’s gift is a painting that relates to another generous gift of masterpieces…

This remarkable composition of Christ stumbling to the floor, buckling under the weight of the cross as he proceeds towards his crucifixion was bought by Lycett Green in 1936. Soldiers, onlookers, guards, horses and Christ’s family and friends are crammed oppressively into the cropped format, adding to the sense of the weight of Christ’s burden. The crowded scene and blend of contorted expressions create a powerful evocation of fear, pity, brutality, pain, anguish and grief: Mary weeps into her cloak on the right-hand side, while in the forefront, Veronica desperately offers a cloth to the exhausted Christ to wipe the sweat from his brow.

When Lycett Green purchased the picture, it was attributed to the celebrated Venetian artist Jacopo Bassano, and was painted in 1545 for a church in Venice. A contemporary of Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto, Bassano mirrored his peers’ interest in vivid colouring, dramatic compositions and sense of the theatrical. Lycett Green had a passion for Venetian painting, and it was obviously important to him to represent Bassano in his collection.

In addition to the artist’s reputation, the painting had further significance. It had been bought in the late 1620s by a Dutch merchant, Jan Reynst, who built up an important collection of Italian paintings while conducting business in Venice, which he took back to his mansion in Amsterdam.

After Reynst’s death, the collection was acquired by the Dutch government, who were seeking to present the newly crowned King of England, Charles II, with an extravagant diplomatic gift. The Reynst collection seemed like the perfect present. A selection of paintings were wrapped up and shipped to England in November 1660, where they were received with ‘extreme delight’ by King Charles, who exhibited the collection in the Royal Palace at Whitehall.

The collection became known as the ‘Dutch Gift’, and while some can still be seen in the Royal Collection, other paintings, such as the Bassano, disappeared into other collections.

It was assumed that Lycett Green’s picture was this original Bassano. In 1957, however, Lycett Green wrote a letter containing some devastating news: “I have made a terrible discovery! It is that there is another version of the Bassano!” The original version was found in Earl Bradford’s collection at Weston Park, and was subsequently bought by the National Gallery.

Lycett Green’s picture was probably painted in Amsterdam before the gift came to England. Perhaps it was so admired that someone wanted to create another copy, or perhaps someone wanted to make a record of the present before it was given away. Either way, it became part of Lycett Green’s gift to York, and makes an important moment in an object’s fascinating journey across Europe as it travelled from church, to mansion, to royal palace, to public gallery. As such, it perfectly fulfils Lycett Green’s ambition that his gift contributed to the knowledge and understanding of the history of painting, a present that we can enjoy year after year.

You can take a closer look at paintings from the Lycett Green gift in our online collections.