Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Buckingham
1625 Kimbell Art Museum
About this artwork
This oil painting depicts George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, mounted on a rearing horse in a dramatic, dynamic pose typical of Rubens. The original canvas was largely destroyed in a fire, but this work is known through smaller oil sketches and copies.
Did you know?
This work was originally a monumental portrait intended to showcase the Duke's power and influence in the English court. Tragically, the original full-scale painting was destroyed in a fire at the Palace of Whitehall in 1698, leaving only this smaller version to testify to the original masterpiece's grandeur and compositional vigor.
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Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Buckingham
Peter Paul Rubens, 1625
