Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1977.14.70
Gallery Label:
The Flemish-born Peter Paul Rubens was a classical scholar and diplomat, in addition to being a painter. Following a mission to London on behalf of the king of Spain in 1630, he was commissioned by Charles I to decorate the ceiling of the Banqueting House at Whitehall Palace with a scheme celebrating the reign of Charles’s father, James I. This is a preparatory modello, or sketch, that Rubens made to guide the assistants in his busy Antwerp studio. The two female figures represent a smaller section of a larger central panel. Peace, draped in gold, moves to embrace Plenty, who is clad in pink and carrying a cornucopia, a symbol of abundance. Behind them looms an architectural caprice with a niche surrounded by four Solomonic columns. Traditionally associated with the First Temple of Jerusalem built by King Solomon, the columns are attributes of a wise and prosperous reign. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016