1978 Articles

Rubens as a Painter of Epitaphs, 1612-1618

Freedberg, David A.

This paper was first delivered on the four hundredth anniversary of Rubens's birth. On that occasion it seemed appropriate to begin the commemoration of his birth with an examination of the paintings he designed for the commemoration of others. Although the conference in Antwerp celebrated the beginning of his life, and the work to be discussed in the following mark the transition from this life to the next, the general purpose of this paper is to gain a clearer insight into how Rubens himself - and his milieu - conceived of the particular form of commemoration represented by his epitaph paintings. In the years between 1612 and 1618 Rubens produced a series of such paintings, and it is these which will be emphasized in the following.