Portrait study of Albert Rubens as a boy (1614–1657), the eldest son of the painter from his first marriage, inclined to the left, oil on paper, mounted on panel, 44.4 x 35 cm, framed

Provenance:
European private collection.

This painting is a portrait sketch of the artist’s two year-old son executed in 1616, which the artist may have used for his painting, Child with a bird (today in the Berlin Gemäldegalerie). Rubens was a loving father, who minutely observed his children’s development, often employing them as models. He repeatedly executed spontaneous, lively sketches of his children, going on in many cases to base paintings on them. The identification of the young boy as Albert Rubens is based on a comparison made with a drawing by his father in the British Museum, which shows the profiles of his sons, Albert and Nicolaes as Cupid and Psyche, along with their names. The profile there of Albert when small corresponds exactly with his likeness in this painting. The double portrait made ten years later of the two brothers, which is today part of the collection of the Princes von und zu Liechtenstein, is evidence of the correct identification of the sitter here. Albert is also to be found in other works by his father. He appears as a cherub in profile in his Madonna with a garland of flowers dated 1616/17, a work produced in collaboration with Jan Brueghel I (today in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich). Stylised details, such as the artist’s characteristic brushwork, the use of colour, particularly in the facial features, and the typical modelling of the child’s curls are all testament to the fact that this sketch must have been executed in the closest circle around Rubens. For conservation purposes, it was mounted on a wooden panel at an unknown date, indicating the oft-vaunted value it had for its owner.