Peter Paul Rubens

Peter Paul Rubens
(1577–1640)

Seated Male Youth (Study for Daniel)

Black chalk, heightened with white chalk, on light gray paper
19 11/16 x 11 3/4 inches (500 x 299 mm)

Gift of J. P. Morgan, Jr., 1924

I, 232
Item description: 

This sheet is preparatory for the figure of Daniel in Rubens's painting Daniel in the Lions' Den. After establishing the position of the figures in compositional drawings and oil sketches, Rubens would make studies after the model for major figures to guide studio assistants in the execution of a painting. Here he outlined the figure in black chalk and blocked out shadows to indicate volume and light. The painting's fidelity to this study indicates that it belongs to the final stages of preparation.