About this
work
Object details
- Title:
- Epitaph of Nicolaas Rockox and His Wife Adriana Perez
- Date:
- 1613-1615
- Dimensions:
- 146 × 233 cm
- Inventory number:
- 307-311
More about this work
The risen Christ displays his stigmata to three astonished apostles in the centre panel of this triptych. On the wings are the donors: Nicolaas Rockox (1560-1640; left) and his wife Adriana Perez (1568-1619, right). Their attributes of a Bible and rosary beads allude to their piety. The outer wings have the coats of arms of the two families. The triptych graced the grave of Rockox and Perez in the Church of the Friars Minor in Antwerp. Christ’s Resurrection was often the subject of epitaphs. The story was regarded as a harbinger of the rising of the dead at the end of days. It proclaimed that these two deceased spirits would also be resurrected then.
The composition on the centre panel was known for a long time as ‘the disbelief of Thomas’, a story from John’s gospel (20:26-29). Thomas was absent when Christ appeared to the other apostles and did not believe them when they informed him about the miracle. A week later Christ appeared again, and this time Thomas was present. He saw the stigmata, felt them and recognised Christ, who said to him: ‘Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed’ (John 20:28-29).
There is one fundamental action from the story of Thomas that Rubens did not depict: Thomas inserting his finger into the wound in Christ’s side. Rubens therefore probably depicted the first appearance to the 11 apostles, but only included Christ’s three particular favourites: John, Peter and James.
Believing without seeing, the central idea behind the story of Thomas, is also illustrated in this triptych. The subject recurs at other places in the New Testament, such as 1 Peter 1:8, 1 Corinthians 4:18, and Hebrews 9:1. Observation plays an important part in the painting. The apostles in the centre panel are looking at Christ in amazement. Rockox and Perez on the other hand, who are praying on the wings, are not seeing him. Thus the piety of the donors, who believe without seeing, is enshrined in paint.
Since the restoration of the painting in 2017 the shades of colour can be seen in all their glory. The great wealth of flesh tones and nuances of light and shade give the picture a strikingly lifelike look. Yet Rubens did not simply imitate reality. He idealised the figures in an attempt to transcend it. The muscular Christ, for instance, looks like a sculpture from classical antiquity.
Nicolaas Rockox was a prominent citizen in 17th-century Antwerp. He was a burgomaster and dean of the Harquebusier’s Guild. He was also a humanist scholar and an important patron of artists, Rubens among them. Their relationship was more than just professional. Rubens described Rockox as a ‘friend and patron’, and christened his second son Nicolaas (1618-1655) after him. Their personal friendship is undoubtedly reflected in the high quality of this epitaph. Experts believe that he painted it entirely himself, while the bulk of his oeuvre was made in collaboration with assistants.
The work is dated in the top left corner of the outer left wing. The date ‘1613' was modified to read ‘1615', which is exceptional. This probably indicates that Rubens started work on the painting in 1613 but only finished it in 1615. In any event, the epitaph was ordered well before the deaths of the donors. It was not unusual for funerary monuments to be finished before or sometime after a death.
The composition on the centre panel was known for a long time as ‘the disbelief of Thomas’, a story from John’s gospel (20:26-29). Thomas was absent when Christ appeared to the other apostles and did not believe them when they informed him about the miracle. A week later Christ appeared again, and this time Thomas was present. He saw the stigmata, felt them and recognised Christ, who said to him: ‘Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed’ (John 20:28-29).
There is one fundamental action from the story of Thomas that Rubens did not depict: Thomas inserting his finger into the wound in Christ’s side. Rubens therefore probably depicted the first appearance to the 11 apostles, but only included Christ’s three particular favourites: John, Peter and James.
Believing without seeing, the central idea behind the story of Thomas, is also illustrated in this triptych. The subject recurs at other places in the New Testament, such as 1 Peter 1:8, 1 Corinthians 4:18, and Hebrews 9:1. Observation plays an important part in the painting. The apostles in the centre panel are looking at Christ in amazement. Rockox and Perez on the other hand, who are praying on the wings, are not seeing him. Thus the piety of the donors, who believe without seeing, is enshrined in paint.
Since the restoration of the painting in 2017 the shades of colour can be seen in all their glory. The great wealth of flesh tones and nuances of light and shade give the picture a strikingly lifelike look. Yet Rubens did not simply imitate reality. He idealised the figures in an attempt to transcend it. The muscular Christ, for instance, looks like a sculpture from classical antiquity.
Nicolaas Rockox was a prominent citizen in 17th-century Antwerp. He was a burgomaster and dean of the Harquebusier’s Guild. He was also a humanist scholar and an important patron of artists, Rubens among them. Their relationship was more than just professional. Rubens described Rockox as a ‘friend and patron’, and christened his second son Nicolaas (1618-1655) after him. Their personal friendship is undoubtedly reflected in the high quality of this epitaph. Experts believe that he painted it entirely himself, while the bulk of his oeuvre was made in collaboration with assistants.
The work is dated in the top left corner of the outer left wing. The date ‘1613' was modified to read ‘1615', which is exceptional. This probably indicates that Rubens started work on the painting in 1613 but only finished it in 1615. In any event, the epitaph was ordered well before the deaths of the donors. It was not unusual for funerary monuments to be finished before or sometime after a death.
Acquisition history
Restoration sponsored by Fonds Baillet Latour, 2017
recuperation from: Frankrijk, 1815
Copyright and legal
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