As a young man, Rubens made many copies of sixteenth century paintings, but only a small number of them have been preserved. This portrait of an elderly man dressed in a black hat and cloak is a copy of a painting by Joos van Cleve (c.1528) which is now in the Prado Museum in Madrid.
Rubens' copy shows his characteristic streaky preparation of the under layer, clearly noticeable under the surface of the face, as well as his free brushwork and warm colors. The solidly painted hands and costume suggest an early date, perhaps before Rubens left for Italy in 1600.
Details
- Artist Name: Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640)
- Title: Portrait of Sebastian Munster
- Date: c. 1597-1600
- Medium: Oil on panel
- Dimensions: 26-1/4 x 20-3/8 in. (66.7 x 51.8 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1968.11.14.P
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
John G. Johnson, Philadelphia, given in 1912 to;
Wilstach Collection, Philadelphia Museum of Art (sold Philadelphia, Samuel T. Freeman & Co., 29-30 October 1954, lot 202, sold to);
[Julius Weitzner, New York, until at least 1955].
Morris I. Kaplan, Chicago (sale London, Sotheby's, 12 June 1968, lot 85, sold to);
The Norton Simon Foundation.
[on loan]
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1969-11-04 to 1972-01-18
[on loan]
- Brooklyn Museum, 1968-08-01 to 1969-01-31
Loan to the Permanent Collection, The Brookyln Museum
- Brooklyn Museum, 1968-08-08 to 1969-10-06
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Catalogue of the W. P. Wilstach Collection, Memorial Hall, 1922, no. 17, pl. 3 p. 7
- Friedlaender, Max, Early Netherlandish Painting: Joos van Cleve, Jan Provost, Joachim Patenier, 1972, no. 89a, pl. 103 p. 68
- Masterpieces from the Norton Simon Museum, 1989, p. 52
- Jaffé, Michael, Catalogo Completo Rubens, 1989, no. 373 p. 218
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 482 p. 303
Image reproduction permission may be granted for scholarly or arts related commercial use. All image requests, regardless of their intended purpose, should be submitted via the reproduction request form.
Images may be protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. Additional permission may be required.
Approved requests for the reproduction of an image will receive a contract detailing all fees and conditions of use of the image. Upon receipt of both the signed contract and full payment, the Office of Rights and Reproductions will provide the image. A complimentary copy of the published material must be provided to the Norton Simon Museum.