Barokke Influencers at the museum Snijders&Rockox House

Museum Snijders&Rockox House

Keizerstraat 10-12, Antwerp

22/04/2023 – 16/07/2023

Barokke Influencers

One of the big exhibitions this year is totally my thing: ‘Baroque Influencers’. In 2018, the Baroque year, I published my book about Baroque in Antwerp (only in Dutch) and as you know, Rubens is one of my favorite painters. My favourite places to guide in Antwerp are the Port House, the Heritage Library and the Sint-Carolus Borromeus Church. Now comes the fun part: the city festival will take place at these 3 locations (and in the KMSKA and the Snijders&Rockox House).

Baroque painter Rubens

In this blog post I will only discuss the exhibition in the Museum Snijders&Rockox House. The other places are covered in other articles. In the former houses of a mayor and a painter, no less than 27 works by Rubens will be shown during the expo. The exhibition is about Rubens’ share in the Saint Charles Borromeo Church. When the church opened in 1621, there were 43 (!) paintings by him in the church. In addition, he also contributed to the decoration of the church, both in the facade and in the interior.

Altarpieces and decoration

Two paintings by Rubens were intended for the high altar, to be displayed alternately with two other works. These were sold to Austria at the end of the 18th century, so now you have to go to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna to view them. Interestingly, these works depict the lives of Ignatius Loyola and Francis Xavier. These two important figures for the Jesuits had not yet been canonized when Rubens was commissioned, and yet they were given a place of honor above the high altar!

In addition to the oil sketches by Xaverius and Ignatius (the original large works from Vienna cannot enter the rooms of the museum), there are also sketches for the decoration of the church.

Ceiling Paintings

Unfortunately, the 39 ceiling paintings made for the church by Rubens (and Van Dyck) were lost in a fire in 1718. Some oil sketches by Rubens survived. What is special is that he made two types for this series: in grisaille style, to test the broad outlines and the incidence of light, and more extensive sketches in color. Of the first series, 9 are still known, of which 5 can be seen in the expo and of the second, colored series, 26, of which 9 in the expo! To supplement this, there are also copies by the artists Jacob de Wit and Christian Benjamin Müller. Interesting is to see all the works side by side so that we can see the best possible picture of this beautiful series. A bonus are the two replicas that hang at the ceiling. This way you can imagine even more how special these works must have been.

Visit

You can only visit this exhibition or purchase a combi ticket with which you can also visit the exhibitions in the Saint Carolo Borromeo church and the Heritage Library.

If you want a tour of this expo or a walk along the three locations, you can always contact me or book via Experience Antwerp and mention my name as a preferred guide. You can always contact me for other questions or comments.