A letter and sketches for the Rubenshuis

3/6/26 - Acquisition - Anvers, Rubenshuis - An artist’s sketches are not always drawn; they are sometimes written. The great Rubens did not write his letters in a single draft; like ordinary mortals, he made rough copies. A sheet bears witness to this, on which, in September 1607, he scribbled a few lines intended for the painter Cristoforo Roncalli, known as il Pomarancio, while on the other side he rapidly sketched the silhouettes of three men dressed in antique tunics (ill. 1 and 2). Displayed at TEFAF Maastricht last March by the English gallery Day & Faber, this double sketch was acquired by the King Baudouin Foundation and deposited at the Rubenshuis. The Antwerp museum is closed for renovation until at least 2030, but visitors have been able to admire this new acquisition since…