Pierre-Paul Rubens (1577-1640) (after) - Lot 34

Pierre-Paul Rubens (1577-1640) (after) Socrates; Sophocles; Cicero; Seneca; Democritus. (Pl. from the Ex marmore antiquo suite). 1638. Burin by Pontius, Vorsterman or Witdoeck. Each approx. 210-215x260-320mm. Fine proofs on laid paper, trimmed to the plate cut. Some foxing or light spotting. Remains of glue in corners on verso. Set of 5 p. "Between 1638 and 1639, a series of twelve engravings of antique busts was published, based on drawings by Rubens. Fascinated by antiquity, Rubens had acquired a small collection of busts from the English ambassador, Sir Dudley Carleton. The artist drew inspiration from this collection, as well as from that of his friend Nicolaas Rockox, which included a bust of Demosthenes. One of his aims was to give these marble heads the appearance of life, transforming the sculptures into flesh-and-blood beings. With their intense gazes, finely detailed curls of hair and rendering of epidermis, these engraved heads appear more like portraits of characters than "reproductions" of sculptures." (Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva).