Christ on the Cross
by RUBENS, Peter Paul, Oil on panel, 51 x 38 cm
The Christ on the Cross is a typical example of an oil sketch made to serve as a design for a larger work, in this case an altarpiece for St. Michael’s Church in Ghent, commissioned in 1627. However, because of the demands made on his time by his diplomatic missions, Rubens was unable to make the painting and the work was entrusted to Van Dyck, who prepared a new oil sketch based on Rubens’ original design.