On the experience of attribution of Western European paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries from the Omsk Regional Museum of Fine Arts named after M.A. Vrubel

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the attribution of works of Western European painting from the 18th to the 19th centuries, forming part of the collection of the Omsk Regional Museum of Fine Arts named after M.A. Vrubel, which is one of the largest regional museums in the country. The study of the most comprehensive collections of Western European art, concentrated in regional Russian museums, is often overlooked even by specialists. This makes it particularly relevant, as it allows for the restoration of the historical record of art and the filling of gaps in our knowledge. The paintings under consideration in this article were among the first to be acquired by the museum in the 1920s. For an extended period, these works failed to capture the attention of scholars, and their examination is only now being undertaken. The attribution is based on the application of a complex approach, which includes the use of comparative stylistic analysis, technical and technological research, as well as the examination of archival documents. This approach illustrates the variety of methods and techniques employed in the process of attribution. As a consequence, the authorship of three works has been established, and previously unknown works by prominent European artists of the 18th and 19th centuries, including the Venetian painter Grigorio Lazzarini (1657–1730), the French painter Jean-Louis De Marne (1752–1829) and Henri Duvier (Duve) (1855–1902), have been identified.