CIRCLE OF SIR PETER PAUL RUBENS | HEAD OF SAINT JAMES THE LESS

The composition here is related to Rubens' Saint James the Less in the Museo del Prado, Madrid. The prime version is part of the so-called Lerma Series of Apostles, all of which remain together in the Prado. The present example, a reduced quotation of the original, is executed on an amalgam of three early panels. The central, and largest panel, has a likely usage date between circa 1583 and 1615.¹ It was fairly common practice within Rubens' immediate artistic circle to create working panels by joining together smaller pieces. Examples of this from Rubens' own hand include The Watering Place (National Gallery, London) with 11 boards in a series of modifications as the image expanded in all directions, and A Shepherd with his Flock (National Gallery, London) which has vertical additions at either end of a landscape panel. A full copy of the dendrochronology report by Ian Tyers is available upon request from the department.