Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640)
Hendrick van Thulden, ca. 1615–16
Black chalk, on buff paper
14 3/4 × 10 3/8 in. (37.4 × 26.2 cm)
The British Museum, London
This drawing was attributed to Van Dyck until recognized as a preparatory sketch for a portrait of the theologian Hendrick van Thulden by Peter Paul Rubens. Dated around the time Van Dyck entered the studio of Rubens in the mid-1610s, it must be the type of sketch the younger artist saw his master make in connection with portraits and which he followed in his own studio. It is very similar to many of Van Dyck’s portrait studies.