Oil Sketch by Rubens that served as the Study for an Altarpiece in the Rubenshuis comes to Auction

This oil sketch by Sir Peter Paul Rubens served as the modello, or study, for an altarpiece of the same subject, which resides today in the Rubenshuis, Antwerp - Rubens’ former home and workshop. Both the large-scale composition and this sketch were probably executed between 1628 and 1629, during the artist’s second period in Spain, and mark the last time that Rubens treated the subject of the Annunciation. Showcasing Rubens’ extraordinary power as a pictorial choreographer and colorist, this intimately scaled and vibrant work conveys the same sense of grandeur and baroque drama as the nearly 10-foot tall, monumental altarpiece.

Rubens used oil sketches as an integral part of his creative process. The sketches possess a striking immediacy, as if we see the struggle of the artist's hand to keep up with his mind, with Rubens’ thoughts unfolding directly before us. By the time Rubens executed the finished canvas, he had made several adjustments to the composition's design, including changing the painting's shape to accommodate a curved top, and modifying the Virgin’s kneeling pose and depicting the fully fleshed out putti full-length.

Auction date: February 6, Sotheby's

Main Image: Sir Peter Paul Rubens Annunciation Estimate $4-6 million