Princely collections debut in China's state museum

Mars and Rhea Silvia (modello). Provided to China Daily

"Rubens and his pupil Van Dyck represent the landmarks of Flemish paintings. The princely collections feature one of the largest bodies of Rubens' works that include 30 paintings and oil sketches, as well as more than 20 paintings by Van Dyck," he says.

The exhibition displays 100 oil paintings, prints, tapestries with various genres including portraits, landscapes and still-life. Kraeftner says many of the works "have been painstakingly restored and have never been shown in public before".

Rubens' works feature mythology and religious themes and the Decius Mus circle, in addition to portraits and prints.Highlights include the famous Portrait of Clara Serena Rubens, a small oil painting which captures the innocence and loveliness of the painter's 5-year-old daughter.

Some carefully curated sections show works in three different versions: the draft, the completion and the tapestry in wool and silk. Mars and Rhea Silvia, for example, is shown in these three forms. When comparing the different versions, one will notice that Rubens had already enlivened the gestures and expressions of the god of war and the priestess even at the stage of sketching.

Mars moves aggressively toward Silvia who, however, leans back slightly out of shyness. And the painter demonstrated great intensity via the eye contact between the two.

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