For the great Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens(1577一1640)，drawing was a fundamental activity．In Rubens's large Antwerp studio，drawings were made for the creation of new paintings；collaborators used them tO assist the master on these paintings；and they served as instructional material for pupils．The drawings were guarded from the outside world because they were considered a kind of studio secret；the competition could exploit designs for new compositions if they were released prematurely．How precious Rubens considered his drawings is evident from his testament，which stipulated that they should be passed on to any ofhis sons or sons-in-law who chose to be a painter；only when it was clear,once all his children were grown，that none would become an artist or marry one could the drawings be dispersed．

For the great Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens(1577一1640)，drawing was a fundamental activity．In Rubens's large Antwerp studio，drawings were made for the creation of new paintings；collaborators used them tO assist the master on these paintings；and they served as instructional material for pupils．The drawings were guarded from the outside world because they were considered a kind of studio secret；the competition could exploit designs for new compositions if they were released prematurely．How precious Rubens considered his drawings is evident from his testament，which stipulated that they should be passed on to any ofhis sons or sons-in-law who chose to be a painter；only when it was clear,once all his children were grown，that none would become an artist or marry one could the drawings be dispersed．

This volume presents，in full—color reproductions，more than one hundred of the finest and most representative of Rubens's drawings，ranging from delightful renderings of children and elegant portraits of noblemen and women tO vigorous animal studies and beautiful landscapes．Essays by Anne-Marie Logan and Michiel C．Plomp provide overviews of Rubens's career as a draftsman and of the eventual dispersal of his drawings among collectors some fifteen years after his death．The authors discuss the various functions of Rubens's drawings as preparatory studies for paintings，sculpture，prints，and book illustrations and as private studies meant largely for the artist's own enjoyment．

When Rubens began a painting，for example，he usually started by making quick compositional drawings jotted down in pen and brown ink，to visualize his initial ideas．These helped him to determine the basic composition，which，in the next step，he put down in an oil sketch．The oil sketch，however，was not a blueprint that needed only tO be enlarged．Rather,before starting the final painting，Rubens made black—chalk drawings from life for the most important figures in the painting and generally came up with many adjustments，large and small，in his figures’posture and facial expression．Especially in the i610s，when Rubens oversaw a large workshop，these figure studies were essential guides tO the pupils who collaborated with him in the execution of paintings．Compositional drawings and figure studies for such paintings as Daniel in the LionS’Den and Rubens's altarpieces of the Raising ofthe Cross,the Descentfrom the Cross,andthe l&gin andChildAdoredaySaints allowthe reader a view into Rubens's working procedure and into the“birth'’ofparticular works．

The volume also includes a sampling of the artist's early anatomical studies and copies after antique sculpture，made during his years in Italy(1600一1608)．In all likelihood it was also in Italy that Rubens began tO collect old master drawings．Eventually he amassed a large quantity of other artists’drawings，most of them by sixteenth—century Italian masters，and he retouched，restored，or reworked many of them．These retouched sheets——several of which are reproduced herein--offer additional insight into his creativity．They are also a starting point for a discussion of the for，tunes of Rubens’S drawings among collectors．In the mid—seventeenth century,when Rubens's estate was finally sold，his retouched sheets and copies after Italian masters held the most appeal for drawings collectors．Only with time and changing lashion did European collectors develop a taste for Flemish drawings and begin tO show an interest in Rubens's own works on paper．

This publication accompanies an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum ofArt，New York，from January tO April 2005——the most comprehensive exhibition of Rubens’s drawings ever held in the United States．

Sponsors' Statements

Directors'Foreword

Acknow ledgments

Lenders to the Exhibition

Peter Paul Rubens as a Draftsman

Collecting Rubens's Drawings

MICHIEL C.PLOMP

Catalogue

Bibliography

Index

Photograph Credits