The Rubens Studio and the Drunken Silenus supported by Satyrs

Author: Keith, Larry

Source: The National Gallery Technical Bulletin, Volume 20, Number 1, January 1999 , pp. 96-104(9)

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Abstract:

The organisation of Rubens's studio is discussed, and his own letters are used to describe the ways in which the artist could participate with his assistants to produce a given painting. Landscape or animal painters might work on the background while Rubens did the rest, including the design of the entire image, or he might merely retouch a work painted by his assistants from one of his sketches. His participation in the Drunken Silenus is considered in detail in the light of technical information illustrated here, taking account of losses in the modelling due to the fading of indigo and of one of the two red lake pigments which were used. It appears that one principal artist, likely Rubens himself, worked with at least two assistants in this case.

Keywords: paintings; primary source documents; Rubens, Peter Paul (1577-1640); workshops (organisations); assistants

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 1999-01-01

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