RUBENS, Peter Paul
(b. 1577, Siegen, d. 1640, Antwerpen)
The Triumphal Car of Kallo1638
Oil on panel, 103 x 71 cm
Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp
Rubens continued to carry out large-scale commissions until the end of his life. In 1638 the Antwerp city authorities ordered a triumphal car which was to be drawn ceremonially through the city. The commission was prompted by the victory of the Infante Ferdinand over the armies of the United Provinces of the Netherlands at Kallo. The Triumphal Car of Kallo is a brilliant example of Rubens' confident and improvisational sketching technique.