Christ on the Cross

Rubens prepared this oil sketch in 1628 to serve as a design for an altarpiece commissioned by the Church of St. Michael, Ghent. In that year and 1629, however, he was abroad on a diplomatic mission in first Madrid and then London, where he helped to prepare the peace treaty between Spain and England, concluded on 15 November 1630. Being consequently unable to undertake the commission, he asked Anthony van Dyck to do the work in his stead. The altarpiece is still on display in the Church of St. Michael.