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A Sermon in a Village Church

ca. 1630
Not on view
This sheet, a relatively recent addition to Rubens's drawn oeuvre, is exceptional in several ways. Even if it seems to have been slightly cropped (especially at the left and the top), it remains one of the artist's largest works on paper. Its technique is much richer than that of most of his other drawings, combining chalk and paints, and gives the work the appearance of an oil sketch. The subject matter may be considered unique for Rubens. In a simple village church, a Catholic priest can be seen preaching to farmers and peasants—men on the left and women on the right—who listen with varying degrees of attentiveness. Obviously observed from nature, the scene can be connected only with the landscapes and studies related to farm life that he made at the end of his career, when he spent much of his time on the estate near Malines that he acquired in 1635. Rubens's composition (if not the vivacity and freshness of the drawing) has been repeated by other artists in a few painted copies. There is, however, no indication that Rubens himself made the drawing for any other reason than to record a moment he had witnessed and thought worthy of his talents.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Sermon in a Village Church
  • Artist: Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp)
  • Date: ca. 1630
  • Medium: Black chalk, oil- and water-based paints
  • Dimensions: 16 5/8 x 22 9/16 in. (42.2 x 57.3 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 2000
  • Object Number: 2000.483
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Pompa Introitus...Ferdinand, Austriaci. Antwerp, Peter Paul Rubens Flemish, Etching
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The Flagellation of Christ
Peter Paul Rubens
Franciscus van den Wijngaerde
17th century
The Virgin with the Child seated near the cradle
Multiple artists/makers
17th century
David Slaying Goliath
Multiple artists/makers
1751
The Temptation of Christ
Peter Paul Rubens
Christoffel Jegher
before 1652

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