Studying the Studio: the Art Gallery of Rubens Depicted?

Abstract

Paintings of art galleries do not only represent works of art, they also provide us with a visual understanding of the context in which they were once displayed. Of special interest is the art gallery of Rubens, an artist who himself owned a reputed collection of antique sculptures and paintings that is presumably depicted in the 17th-century painting The Studio of Rubens. However, is it indeed Rubens’ studio that is represented? If The Studio of Rubens indeed depicts the art gallery of Rubens, it would be the only depiction of it we know today. If not, we might ask ourselves what is depicted, and why? In this paper, the diverse aspects of the painting, such as the represented works of art, the staffage, and the provenance, as well as the placement of The Studio of Rubens within the tradition of depicting art galleries in seventeenth-century Antwerp, are examined. As a result, the study of The Studio of Rubens has been made clear that it is not the art collection of Rubens himself that is on display in the painting, although the decor does demonstrate some similarities with the ‘Pantheon’ in which the great artist kept his antique sculptures. Finally, it is important that though the author of the article suggests that a revision of the painting’s title would be in place, research on the work of art itself draws connections between creators, patrons, dealers, and connoisseurs — of art.