Two Different Approaches to ‘Copying’

  Sometimes, Rubens himself made copies of the original artworks from life. This is true of all his extant copies of classical statuary as well as a few of his studies of Renaissance murals, including those by Michelangelo.

  In this group of studies after the Laocoön, it is plainly visible that Rubens himself made the copies from life. All executed with the same manner using black chalk, the three sketches appear to be uniformly made by one hand at a single time. Furthermore, the three copies, each done from a different angle, are representative of Rubens’ working practices when he copied antiquities. All these stylistic characteristics point to the fact that it is indeed Rubens himself who recorded his keen, selective observations of this iconic sculpture.

  At other times, Rubens retouched and reworked copies already made by other artists or copyists. This applies to Rubens’ many surviving studies of the works by Renaissance and modern artists. Having purchased these copies of modern artworks, Rubens often returned years later to make changes in them, which is characteristic of Rubens’ artistic practices.

  In this study of Night, an important sculptural component of the tomb designed by Michelangelo for Giuliano de’ Medici, Rubens expanded and reworked an already existing copy by an anonymous Italian artist. On the surface of this drawing the seams between different sheets of paper are manifest. Additionally, Rubens added some extra figures in the background, a feature that departs from the original setting of the sculpture. Finally, with regard to the depicted sculpture in the drawing, Rubens also accentuated its volume and plasticity by delicately applying shades on its surface.

  Rubens’ differentiated approaches to ancient and modern artworks do not necessarily indicate that Rubens was more deferential towards the ancients than the moderns. In fact, Rubens, a shrewd artist, took the two different approaches largely out of practical considerations. Copies after Renaissance artworks were plenty and affordable, while copies after ancient statuary were more difficult and expensive to source.