Flesh and Oil: The Trademark Techniques of Sir Peter Paul Rubens

This Baroque masterpiece epitomizes the artistic virtuosity for which Sir Peter Paul Rubens has long been celebrated. Painted in Antwerp around 1620 when the Flemish artist was at the height of his creative powers, Portrait of a Man as Mars blends the genres of portraiture, allegory, and mythology. Imbued with a magnetic virility, the man conveys the self-assurance of the classical deity Mars. His dynamic pose is inspired by Titian, whose work Rubens encountered during his stay in Italy at the outset of his career, but the composition’s originality and bravura brushwork are hallmarks of the northern master.

Portrait of a Man as Mars from Sir Peter Paul Rubens will be offered in Sotheby’s Modern Evening auction on 16 May at Sotheby’s New York as a part of the New York Sales presented in partnership with CELINE.