Art Fund and Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge have joined forces to secure Poussin’s Extreme Unction, for its collection. The painting is the climax of a seminal set of paintings on the theme of the Seven Sacraments and is considered by many to be the most accomplished. Valued at £14 million, the Fitzwilliam has a unique opportunity to buy Extreme Unction (or Final Anointing) for £3.9 million thanks to a special government tax scheme.
Nicolas Poussin, Extreme Unction (c. 1638-40)
Extreme Unction depicts a dying man being anointed with oil in accordance with the rites of the early Roman church. It is a work of considerable art-historical importance by the greatest French classicist of the 17th century, but it is remarkable too for its raw impact on the contemporary viewer: a deeply poignant depiction of the moment of death, it combines a stark emotional intensity with a nonetheless vibrant and theatrical composition, the rich colour even tending towards the celebratory despite the profound solemnity of its subject.
In painting Extreme Unction, Poussin rejected contemporary thinking on the art of drawing, placing a focus less on individual characters than on the composition as a whole, helping to lend the picture its magnificent sense of theatre – as you can see for yourself in the gallery above. The work has been held in the private collection of the Dukes of Rutland since the eighteenth century and if it is acquired by the Fitzwilliam, it will be the most important Old Master painting to enter the museum for almost a century.
Trusts, foundations, and the Heritage Lottery Fund, each of which has the potential to contribute a significant sum towards the purchase of the work. We are starting the campaign having already raised almost 10% of the total, but there is still a long way to go if we are to secure all the funds by the November deadline. You can donate to the campaign online and ensure this magnificent work of art remains on public display. www.artfund.org