Head of the Oldest of the Three Kings (The Greek Magus)
Artist
Peter Paul Rubens
(Flemish, 1577-1640)
Dateca. 1620
Object number62.0300
Medium oil on canvas transferred from panel
Dimensions25 1/4 x 19 1/4 in. (64.1 x 48.9 cm)
frame (black frame): 36 1/4 x 30 3/4 x 2 in. (92.1 x 78.1 x 5.1 cm)
frame (black frame): 36 1/4 x 30 3/4 x 2 in. (92.1 x 78.1 x 5.1 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Collections
DescriptionAfter training in Antwerp and spending nearly ten years in Italy studying the classical and Renaissance masters, Peter Paul Rubens returned to the Flemish city, where he established a highly successful workshop and became court painter for Archdukes Albert of Austria and Isabella Clara Eugenia, governors of the Spanish Netherlands (r. 1598–1621).
In Antwerp, Rubens also gained support from key religious groups and influential citizens, such as his longtime friend Balthasar Moretus, director of the renowned Plantin-Moretus printing house. After Rubens began painting the Adoration of the Magi for the Church of St. John in Mechelen (modern-day Belgium) in 1617, he received a commission from his friend to create a series of portraits of the Three Kings. The Head of the Oldest of the Three Kings (The Greek Magus) is one of these. Rubens’s portrayal of the eldest magus, who is shown offering a gift of gold, highlights the artist’s attention to detail, evident in the figure’s luxurious fur-lined damask cloak and realistic hair and skin.
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