A rare double-sided sheet from Peter Paul Rubens' Roman sketchbook has gone on display in his home city of Antwerp, offering new insights into the Baroque master's early career. The sheet, acquired by the King Baudouin Foundation for €110,000 (£86,000), features a sketch of three figures on one side and a draft letter on the reverse.
The sketch, drawn in brown ink, depicts three men in classical robes, likely apostles, with jagged lines at the top suggesting Rubens was testing his quill. The figures do not appear in any known Rubens work, leaving curators uncertain whether they were imagined or copied from Roman art.
The reverse contains an incomplete draft letter dated September 1607 to Italian painter Cristoforo Roncalli. Rubens, then 30 and working for the Mantua court, wrote on behalf of their mutual patron, Eleonora de' Medici, Duchess of Mantua, inquiring about a painting for her private chapel. Curator An Van Camp noted Rubens' diplomatic tone and corrections as he searched for the right words.
The sheet is now part of the Rubens Experience exhibition at the Rubenshuis museum, which holds only two drawings and ten letters by the artist. It will eventually be displayed in Rubens' Antwerp home after renovations, expected to be completed by 2030 at the earliest.
Rubens left Italy in 1608 after learning his mother was ill, but settled in Antwerp and transformed his home into a palazzo inspired by Roman and Renaissance architecture. He never returned to Italy, signing his work as Pietro Paolo Rubens for the rest of his life.
