This is one of a series of twelve panels (P01646, P01647, P01648, P01649, P01650, P01651, P01652, P01653, P01654, P01655, P01656, P01657) that make up an apostolate that originally included a Savior of the World. The disciples of Christ are represented in the style the painter used around 1612-1613. These are large figures of forceful appearance and considerable plasticity, contrasting with the da
Diana the huntress is resting with her court of Nymphs in a clearing in the woods when she is attacked by a group of Satyrs. Rubens turned this painting into a virtuoso exercise in composition. In the foreground, two volumes lead to the rest of the scene: on the left are the hunting trophies attained by the nymphs, and on the right, a reclining nymph with her back to the viewer, one of the most se
This is one of a series of twelve panels (P01646, P01647, P01648, P01649, P01650, P01651, P01652, P01653, P01654, P01655, P01656, P01657) that make up an apostolate that originally included a Savior of the World. The disciples of Christ are represented in the style the painter used around 1612-1613. These are large figures of forceful appearance and considerable plasticity, contrasting with the da
Orpheus descends into the Underworld to recover his wife, Eurydice, who died after being bitten by a serpent. Pluto and Proserpina, the god and goddess of the underworld, are so moved by the music of his lyre that they accede to his request. The only condition they impose is that he contains his desire and not look at his beloved until they have both fully departed the underworld. On the basis of
The Graces were minor deities but in this splendid work Peter Paul Rubens devotes his best effort to them. The three goddesses embrace each other forming a circle. The positioning of their feet suggests movement; they seem to dance gently. The setting is as luscious as the nude bodies of the goddesses. A field illuminated by sunlight filtered through dense trees stretches to a distant blue. The sh
On a number of occasions, Peter Paul Rubens partially overpainted finished pictures. He did this to paintings by his own hand, such as Nymphs and Satyrs (P1666), which he retouched and enlarged twenty years after he first painted it. He also made changes to drawings and paintings by other artists that he owned. This painting is an example of such reworking, albeit in a radical mode that changed th
Dentro del apostolado pintado por Rubens en torno a 1610-1612, San Pedro, padre de la Iglesia, aparece con las llaves en las manos y vestido con una túnica con el palio pontificio decorado con tres cruces, ambos símbolos de este apóstol, primer papa de la iglesia. Dirige la mirada al cielo y sus ojos parecen vidriosos, pudiendo hacer referencia a la iconografía de las Lágrimas de San Pedro, un epi
This is one of a series of twelve panels (P01646, P01647, P01648, P01649, P01650, P01651, P01652, P01653, P01654, P01655, P01656, P01657) that make up an apostolate that originally included a Savior of the World. The disciples of Christ are represented in the style the painter used around 1612-1613. These are large figures of forceful appearance and considerable plasticity, contrasting with the da
In this picture, the setting epitomises the classical concept of a Locus amoenus ("pleasant place") which developed from the time of Homer and referred to an ideal place for sensual being, with flowing water that impregnates the land and shade provided by trees. Socrates describes such a place in Plato’s dialogue Phaedrus. Rubens’s Locus amoenus is recreated with such conviction that it makes me t
This is one of a series of twelve panels (P01646, P01647, P01648, P01649, P01650, P01651, P01652, P01653, P01654, P01655, P01656, P01657) that make up an apostolate that originally included a Savior of the World. The disciples of Christ are represented in the style the painter used around 1612-1613. These are large figures of forceful appearance and considerable plasticity, contrasting with the da
When Rubens visited the Spanish court in Madrid from late August 1628 until April 1629, he copied many of the numerous paintings by Titian in the royal collection. He was seduced by the radical technique of broken brushstrokes characteristic of the late works of the Venetian, which inspired his own way of painting from this time until his death in 1640. He must also have been drawn by the emotiona
This is a free copy of Hans Holbein´s portrait of the Thomas More, the English humanist and statesman. He wears a cape with a fur collar and a magistrate´s cap. In his hands, he holds a paper alluding to his condition as an intellectual. Holbein was a favorite of Rubens, who copied his works on numerous occasions, especially at the beginning of his career. The present portrait was made in the sixt
A posthumous portrait of Felipe II wearing full body armor, a cape and a hat and riding a horse. Victory crowns him with laurels. The background alludes to a battle, probably that of San Quentín in 1557.Inspired by the knightly ideas of the sixteenth century, this portrait is based on representations of Roman emperors that circulated on Flemish and Italian prints, as well as an image of Car
The Virgin sits with the Christ Child in the midst of grandiose classical architecture. She is surrounded by numerous saints in various positions. Above her, some angels prepare to crown her as Queen of Heaven. This work was sometimes thought to be a representation of The Mystical Betrothal of Saint Catherine, because of the strong presence of that saint, who is depicted kneeling before the Christ
This is one of a series of twelve panels (P01646, P01647, P01648, P01649, P01650, P01651, P01652, P01653, P01654, P01655, P01656, P01657) that make up an apostolate that originally included a Savior of the World. The disciples of Christ are represented in the style the painter used around 1612-1613. These are large figures of forceful appearance and considerable plasticity, contrasting with the da
This is one of a series of twelve panels (P01646, P01647, P01648, P01649, P01650, P01651, P01652, P01653, P01654, P01655, P01656, P01657) that make up an apostolate that originally included a Savior of the World. The disciples of Christ are represented in the style the painter used around 1612-1613. These are large figures of forceful appearance and considerable plasticity, contrasting with the da
This is one of a series of twelve panels (P01646, P01647, P01648, P01649, P01650, P01651, P01652, P01653, P01654, P01655, P01656, P01657) that make up an apostolate that originally included a Savior of the World. The disciples of Christ are represented in the style the painter used around 1612-1613. These are large figures of forceful appearance and considerable plasticity, contrasting with the da
On Rubens’s death in May 1640, the largest collection of his works aside from his own (he was an important art collector and also retained many of his own creations) was that of King Philip IV of Spain. Philip’s attention had primarily been drawn to Rubens by his aunt, Isabel Clara Eugenia. It should be borne in mind that when the young king embarked on his reign in 1621, only a few works by the a