Museum Label Translation
Brussels, 1614. Jan Brueghel commissions Rubens to create an epitaph honoring his father, Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The Flemish master chooses to paint the moment when Christ founds his Church. An instant of divine transmission frozen in oil.
Baroque Monumentality in Service of the Sacred
The eye first slides toward those two keys suspended between Christ’s hands and Peter’s. The former fisherman of Galilee is draped in a heavy yellow cloak with generous folds. His gesture mingles gratitude and awe. Christ stands out in his vivid red robe. His right hand points toward heaven.
Behind them, four disciples gather: Paul with his fixed gaze turned toward us, John with youthful and gentle features, James scrutinizing Christ intensely. Rubens composes his painting with breathtaking technical mastery. Luminous contrasts sculpt the bodies, deep shadows dramatize the scene.
One Genius’s Epitaph for Another
This work symbolizes the institution of the papacy, a cherished theme in Italian art but rare in Flanders. Rubens, then a sought-after painter throughout Europe, worked for ecclesiastical and princely patrons. His style absorbed Italian influences, notably Caravaggio’s humanist conception. This composition would serve as a model for numerous artists through an engraving by Pieter de Jode I.
Peter Paul Rubens
Diplomat and Antwerp painter, Rubens (1577-1640) embodied Flemish Baroque. Trained in Italy, he developed a dynamic style combining vibrant colors and monumental compositions. This work illustrates his early Antwerp period.
Think about it
💭 In this scene of spiritual power’s transmission, intended to adorn a tomb, does Baroque art seek to move or to convince the faithful who contemplate it?
About This Work
- Christ Giving the Keys of Heaven to Saint Peter
- Peter Paul Rubens
- circa 1613-1615
- Oil on oak panel
- 182.5 × 159 cm
- Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
