Glorification of the Eucharist
Peter Paul Rubens·1630
Historical Context
Rubens painted the Glorification of the Eucharist around 1630-32, an oil sketch related to the monumental Triumph of the Eucharist tapestry series he designed for the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia. The tapestries, celebrating the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, were among the most ambitious textile projects of the seventeenth century. Rubens's oil sketches for the series demonstrate the design process behind his decorative programs. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the painting documents the intersection of art, theology, and political patronage in Counter-Reformation Flanders.
Technical Analysis
The composition soars upward with celestial figures arranged in a dynamic spiral, rendered in Rubens's characteristic warm palette with brilliant highlights and atmospheric depth that suggest heavenly radiance.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the celestial figures arranged in a dynamic spiral that soars upward with characteristic Rubens energy.
- ◆Look at the brilliant highlights and atmospheric depth that suggest heavenly radiance in the compositional upper register.
- ◆Observe the Eucharist itself at the composition's center, elevated by the surrounding celestial celebration.
- ◆The oil sketch format preserves the spontaneity of Rubens's compositional thinking for this grand tapestry design.
- ◆Find where the sketch's rapid execution reveals the underlying structure of the final tapestry composition.
