Lucas Vorsterman Antwerp, about 1630 Etching 248 X 160 MM Lucas Vorsterman (1595-1675) was a talented engraver who was employed by Rubens to create reproductions of the master’s work until a violent dispute ended their relationship. This engraving is one of 80 prints that appeared in Van Dyck’s series ‘portraits of famous men’, later known … Read more
Louis XIV Paris, about 1663 Black, red and white chalk 435 X 352 MM This study of Louis XIV (1638-1715) was drawn from life when the king was aged 25 and had been suffering from scarlet fever. Le Brun was particularly interested in how a person’s face could reveal their personality. Here the King is … Read more
Portrait of Sultan Ali Adil Shah II India, 17th century Coloured ink on paper and fabric 389 x 237 mm Painted in Bijapur by an unknown master, this jewel-like miniature depicts Sultan Ali Adil Shah II, who reigned between 1656 and 1672. Clad in a magnificent gold jama, which is decorated with emerald-green peacock ‘eyes’, … Read more
The Lion Hunt Flanders, late 1620s Engraving with etching 428 x 596 mm This violent and dramatic hunting scene, after a painting by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), shows horses, men and wild beasts masterfully entwined, the range of facial expressions and contorted poses portraying the fury and fierce determination of each. The central horse, legs outstretched, … Read more
The Martyrdom of Saint Peter Naples, the late 1650s Oil on canvas 194.5 x 194.3 cm According to tradition, Saint Peter, Christ’s closest disciple and the first pope, chose to be crucified upside down to avoid comparison with his master. Here, the two executioners, shown with brutal realism, heave the cross upwards. One looks directly … Read more
A Sheet of Studies Netherlands, mid-1630s Pen, brown wash and red chalk 220 X 233 MM This sheet contains nine studies of five different figures and is the finest such drawing by Rembrandt to survive intact. Rembrandt was renowned for carrying a sketchbook around Amsterdam in which he would rapidly draw anything that aroused his … Read more