The Birth of Apollo and Diana
Ca. 1625. Wash, Ink, White lead on laid paper.Not on display
Held by two young maids, Leto gives birth to Diana and Apollo before a temple portico. She is surrounded by women and children who help her bear the pain. A second group of children in the foreground contribute to sense of depth, reflecting a mannerist practice common in works by Giulio Romano and Primaticcio.
In the Pastrana family inventory, this was considered a drawing of the death of Pandora, and indeed, its subject matter is not easily determined. Diana, who was born before Apollo, appears at the center of the scene, where she is easily distinguished from the other nude children. The mothers and children aiding Leto are explained by her role as goddess of birth, reproduction and fertility. When the Pastrana collection was donated to the Museo del Prado, this work was listed as the death of Leto, but it could just as well reflect Andromache fainting after learning of her husband Hector’s death. In fact, Primaticcio’s painting of that scene was a direct source for Rubens. The drawing is severe, with robust forms and emotive visual values. The models are rendered with simplified schematic lines and the influence of ancient sculpture is clear in the French-Italian mannerist composition. The figures fill the space and the formal constructivism does not weaken their expressive values, which are sparing but clear in the group of women aiding Leto or Andromache in her swoon.
Díaz Padrón, Matías, Pedro Pablo Rubens (1577-1640): exposición homenaje, Ministerio de Cultura, Dirección General de Patrimonio, 1977, p.133, 250, nº 121
