Curatorial Notes
Peter Paul Rubens designed this elaborate oil sketch as part of a tapestry series intended for the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales in Madrid. Rubens created two tiers of celebrants—the heavenly on the upper level and the earthly on the lower level—adoring the Eucharist, an important sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church, which is lifted by two angels beneath a central arch. The series’ patron, Spanish archduchess Isabella Clara Eugenia, is represented in a nun’s habit at the lower left to signify her piety and reinforce her status as an important patron of the arts in the ruling Habsburg family.
Artwork Identification
Title The Adoration of the Eucharist
Title (PT) A Adoração da Eucaristia
Title (ES) La Adoración de la Eucaristía
Artist Peter Paul Rubens
Artist Bio Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640)
Date c. 1626
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Art Institute of Chicago
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0