DISCOVERART

Peter Paul Rubens

St. Albert of Louvain

1620
Oil on panel
34.7 × 45.8 cm (13.7 × 18 in)

SEE IT IN PERSON

● On view now — Gallery 208

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · verified July 2026

View at artic.edu ↗Plan a visit ↗

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Peter Paul Rubens executed this study and 38 more as he prepared to decorate the ceiling of the Jesuit church in Antwerp. He presented such highly finished sketches to his patrons as proposals for major projects. This work shows a dramatically foreshortened saint gliding majestically on a cloud. The bold perspective would have furthered the illusion that the painting was a window in the ceiling of the church, offering a view to the open sky above. The man depicted here is the 12th-century martyr Albert of Louvain, patron saint of Archduke Albert, governor of the Spanish Netherlands.

Source ↗

Be the first to share your thoughts.

Sign in to join the discussion.

Community guidelines

More by Peter Paul Rubens

A Forest at Dawn with a Deer HuntA Forest at Dawn with a Deer HuntPortrait of Isabella BrantPortrait of Isabella BrantThe Triumph of the ChurchThe Triumph of the ChurchThe Holy Family with Saints Elizabeth and John the BaptistThe Holy Family with Saints Elizabeth and John the BaptistPortrait of a Woman, Probably Susanna Lunden (Susanna Fourment, 1599–1628)Portrait of a Woman, Probably Susanna Lunden (Susanna FourmeAtalanta and MeleagerAtalanta and MeleagerDiana and Her Nymphs Departing for the HuntDiana and Her Nymphs Departing for the HuntThe Holy Family with Saints Francis and Anne and the Infant Saint John the BaptistThe Holy Family with Saints Francis and Anne and the Infant

More like this

Moses receiving the Tablets of the Law from God who descends from the heavens; from the series of 112 prints of the sacred history, after the painting by Mattia PretiMattia Preti (Il Cavalier Calabrese)|Pietro Monaco|Pietro MoThe Sacrifice of IsaacGiovanni Domenico Tiepolo — The Sacrifice of IsaacFather of the Chruch Writing in His StudyUnknown artist — Father of the Chruch Writing in His StudySaint John the Baptist Preaching in the DesertJean Baptiste Henri Deshays — Saint John the Baptist PreachiThe Prophet IsaiahHendrick Goltzius — The Prophet IsaiahThe Prophets David and DanielPeter Paul Rubens|Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi) — The The Angels Appearing to AbrahamFrancesco Guardi (Italian, 1712–1793) — The Angels AppearingSt Matthias, from Christ, the Apostles and St Paul with the CreedHendrick Goltzius — St Matthias, from Christ, the Apostles aSt Paulus, from Sinners of the Old and New TestamentWillem van Swanenburgh — St Paulus, from Sinners of the Old Ascension of Saint JeromeKarel Skréta (Czech, 1610–1674) — Ascension of Saint JeromeSaint JeromeJusepe de Ribera (Spanish, 1591–1652) — Saint JeromeA Hermit in a RuinJan Adriaensz. van Staveren — A Hermit in a Ruin