Art Funded by you

Multiple Sketch for the Banqueting House Ceiling

Peter Paul Rubens, 1629–1630

Rubens was commissioned by James I to create an allegorical painted ceiling for the new Banqueting House at Whitehall. The ceiling was designed to celebrate the peaceful union of Scotland and England following the death of Elizabeth I. This work is Rubens's preliminary sketch for seven of the nine eventual compartments of the ceiling. In the centre, the apotheosis of James I is shown set in an oval. At the two shorter sides are processions of children, infant Bacchants and cherubs with chariots, animals, a festoon, and a cornucopia of fruit. At the longer sides, in ovals, are Hercules and Minerva, and personifications of Abundance and Temperance, triumphing over personifications of vices. This work was acquired after a public campaign where donations could be made through a special Art Fund website. This work was acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.

More information

Title of artwork, date

Multiple Sketch for the Banqueting House Ceiling, 1629–1630

Date supported

2008

Medium and material

Oil on wooden board

Dimensions

94.7 x 63 cm

Grant

600000

Total cost

5700000

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