Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640)
The Adoration of the Eucharist
INV-2579
Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640)c. 1626
The Adoration of the Eucharist
Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640) →17th Centuryoil on panelpaint
Date
c. 1626
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
31.5 × 32 cm (12 1/2 × 12 1/2 in.); Framed: 47.6 × 47.6 × 7 cm (18 3/4 × 18 3/4 × 2 3/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection
Peter Paul Rubens designed this elaborate oil sketch as part of a tapestry series intended for the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales in Madrid. Rubens created two tiers of celebrants—the heavenly on the upper level and the earthly on the lower level—adoring the Eucharist, an important sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church, which is lifted by two angels beneath a central arch. The series’ patron, Spanish archduchess Isabella Clara Eugenia, is represented in a nun’s habit at the lower left to signify her piety and reinforce her status as an important patron of the arts in the ruling Habsburg family.
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