of the painter’ s craft. Sadly, while the quality of paintings by de Piles is well documented, they have survived only through engravings after them. It is intriguing to speculate over how much his hands-on practice of the representational painter’ s craft enabled him to recognize the inherent genius and mastery of Rubens.
PETER PAUL RUBENS
Landscape with St. George and the Dragon c. 1634-5 Royal Collection, Windsor
Roger de Piles included this large, unusual landscape with figures in his“ Descriptions of Paintings by Rubens,” in the collection of the Duke of Richelieu that appeared the book Collection of Various Works on Painting and Color published in 1775. As described by de Piles, Rubens painted it for Charles I of England, who used to celebrate the Feast of St. George at Windsor Castle. The composition is divided diagonally by the River Thames, with a view of Windsor on the opposite side. The Saint is represented by a portrait of Charles I at the center of the picture, with a portrait of the Queen in the role of the rescued princess.
Vindication for his advocacy of Color over Drawing and of Peter Paul Rubens came in 1699 when he was appointed Conseiller Honoraire Amateur to the Royal Academy and he became its chief theorist. Interestingly, in his“ Balance of Painters” nine years later( a year before his death), the highest number assigned to any artist on his list was 65 out of a possible total of 80 for all four categories, and that was achieved only by two: Raphael Sanzio and Peter Paul Rubens. The curious“ Balance” of de Piles will be explored in more detail in a forthcoming article.
ROGER DE PILES
Three illustrations from The Primary Elements of Practical Painting( 1684), engraved by J. B. Corneille, Painter in the Royal Academy. Left: Head Studies, Center: The Easel, Right: Arrangement of Colors on the Palette
48 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE