Study for the Crucifixion

Peter Rubens

Summary

A reproduction produced by the Vasari Society of a drawing by Peter Paul Rubens. The drawing shows the head and torso of a nude man with his arms raised. The man is facing forwards and the fists of his hands reach the top two corners of the composition. His head is tilted backwards and he looks upwards. His expression is one of anguish or surprise. His ribs are visible through his skin, which emphasises the pressure on his arms. The original drawing was in chalk. Text from the accompanying booklet produced by the Vasari Society: "No. 22 PETER PAUL RUBENS (b. 1577, d. 1640) STUDY FOR THE CRUCIFIXION British Museum (O. o. 9-26). From the Payne Knight Collection. Chalk. 52.9 x 37 cm. (20 3/4 x 14 1/2 in.) This magnificent study corresponds in pose and detail to the famous 'Christ on the Cross' at Antwerp, and belongs to the early maturity of Rubens. It probably served again for the smaller version of the Antwerp picture at Hertford House, and for the later design executed with a brush at Rotterdam in which mourning angels have been added, whilst the arms have become more straight in action and the pose of the head more abrupt, though it is interesting to note that with the change in expression the essential identity of the drawing and the anatomical details have not been perceptibly altered from this study, which is a direct transcript from the living model. C. R."