Aries

Aries, opening the zodiac series Jordaens executed around 1640 for the Luxembourg Palace, carries the weight of beginning: the first sign, associated with spring's renewal, the ram, and the vernal equinox. In the Baroque tradition, Aries was depicted in scenes of new vitality — shepherds with their flocks, rustic figures returning to agricultural labour, nature awakening from winter. Jordaens's interpretation draws on his extensive experience with peasant genre subjects, blending zodiacal symbolism into a scene of convincing rural life. For the Luxembourg series, the placement of Aries at the start of the cycle gave it a programmatic importance — setting the visual tone and scale expectations for all eleven canvases that followed. The commission was one of the most significant Jordaens received from a French royal context, and Aries served as a statement of the painter's ability to work at the highest level of decorative ambition.

Jordaens uses a confident, broad handling appropriate to the large decorative format. The spring subject permits a lighter, airier palette than the warmer signs, with greens and clear blues in the landscape background. The ram, where present, is rendered with careful attention to the animal's distinctive curved horns and dense wool, showing Jordaens's facility with animal subjects.