A&A | A Battle of Horsemen (verso)

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Artist: Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) (99)

Period: 17th century (3591)

Type: ink (2963)

Keywords
battles (430) | goddesses (272) | mythology (1369) | nudes (1735) | studies and drafts (1752)

Image sets with this image: Rubens

A Battle of Horsemen (verso)

1635-39

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

Pen and ink on paper

Width: 50.9 cm; Height: 29.1 cm;

Inscription
Inscription:

Acquisition (source, method, date)
Seilern, Antoine (Count); bequest; 1978
D.1978.PG.65

About this work
Greek mythology recounts the tale of a young hunter, Actaeon, who is punished for stumbling upon the virginal Goddess of the Hunt, Diana, enjoying a bath in a spring surrounded by her nymphs. Here, Diana is the only figure with direct eye contact, but her nymphs have yet to react to the intrusion. Rubens has swiftly established the basic elements of the composition in ink in preparation for a painting (Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam), primarily considering the placement and interactions between figures with only an indication of the background. (Permanent collection label)