Rubens: Illustrator of Science

Published on 19 March 2021, by Philippe Dufour

Auction on 26 March 2021 - 15:00 (CET) - Salle 2 - Hôtel Drouot - 75009

A preparatory drawing from the Marquis of Lagoy’s fabulous collection reveals a little-known facet of the Antwerp master: he was also a vignette illustrator. This study is a concentration of his usual virtuosity.

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), draft vignette for Opticorum libri sex by Franciscus... Rubens: Illustrator of Science

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), draft vignette for Opticorum libri sex by Franciscus Aguilon, c. 1613, pen and brown ink, brown ink wash and white gouache highlights, grooved with a stylus, 9.5 x 14.3 cm (3.74 x 5.62 in).
Estimate: €200,000/300,000

At first sight, the lively, whimsical scene may seem unfathomable: assisted by putti, a bearded man poses as Atlas, but on his back, the world is replaced by an armillary sphere. A fluttering putto holds a torch whose light projects the instrument’s shadow on the floor so that another can measure it with a compass and instruct a third.…

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COLLECTION OF THE MARQUIS DE LAGOY AND VARIOUS

Friday 26 March 2021 - 15:00 (CET) - Live

Salle 2 - Hôtel Drouot - 75009 Paris

Kâ-Mondo

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Results

Read articles about the sale

Pre-sale

A Caravaggesque Christ by Simon Vouet

Perhaps the more appealing of the two drawings from the Marquis of Lagoy's collection up for sale is not Rubens' project for a vignette for Franciscus Aguilon’s Opticorum Libri Sex, but this work by Simon Vouet.

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Rubens and Vouet’s Virtuosity Crowned with Success

Two painters from the triumphant 17^th century, Simon Vouet and Pierre Paul Rubens, also made works on paper. Beautifully crafted objects complemented their great art at this auction.