Abundance (Abundantia)

Like the study work Two Sleeping Children, this painting is a study created for an allegory of Abundance image. While the former was painted when Rubens was about 35 or 36 years old, this painting dates from his early 50s. This study is thought to have been a preparatory work for a tapestry, and originally formed a pair with Justice (private collection), also by Rubens's hand. The young woman in the center of the composition represents Abundance, and the cornucopia, symbol of abundance, is placed on her lap. The fruits that spill forth from the cornucopia symbolize the goodness of nature for mankind. Two putti are shown gathering the fruit that spills forth. The purse under the woman's foot represents material treasures in contrast with the natural treasures of the cornucopia. This is a superb preparatory work in oils by Rubens's own hand. (Source: Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2009, cat. no. 27)