The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis
1636 Art Institute of Chicago
About this artwork
This oil sketch was produced as a study for one of the major decorations commissioned for the Torre de la Parada in Madrid. It captures a pivotal moment of tension during the divine wedding feast.
Did you know?
This painting depicts the moment Eris, the goddess of discord, threw the golden apple inscribed 'for the fairest' into the wedding feast, setting off a chain of events that would eventually lead to the Trojan War. Rubens captures the chaotic energy of the Olympian deities as they react to the intrusion. It is a masterful example of the preparatory 'oil sketches' that allowed Rubens to plan complex large-scale decorative projects for the Spanish court.
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The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis
Peter Paul Rubens, 1636
