Portrait of Rubens' sons, Albert and Nikolaus (1750–75)
Original title: Portrait of Rubens' sons, Albert and Nikolaus
kurzbeschreibung
Two children appear on this sheet, long identified as the sons of Peter Paul Rubens. Eustache Danzel etched the subject at some point between 1750 and 1775. The black-and-white etching measures 40.4 × 23.5 cm.
Description
The two boys stand side by side, the elder with his arm around the younger. Both wear opulent Baroque dress: the younger in a shirt with puffed sleeves and breeches trimmed with ribbons and fringe, the elder in a shirt with a striking collar and breeches edged in fur. Heeled shoes are visible on both, and the elder also wears a Baroque hat. A column behind them suggests an interior setting.
Context
This etching was made in the eighteenth century, roughly a hundred years after Rubens's death. It most likely reproduces a painting or drawing from the Rubens workshop. As part of a series of reproductive prints, it served to circulate well-known works of art in its day.
Impact
The brothers' close stance gives rise to an intimate, almost tender mood. Thanks to the delicate linework of the etching, the sumptuous fabrics come across as surprisingly light and elegant.
Technique
Etching is an intaglio process: the drawing is scratched into an acid-resistant layer on a copper plate. The artist's monogram and the crisp contour line are typical of eighteenth-century reproductive printmaking.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)