Pausias and Glycera
Artist
Peter Paul Rubens
(Flemish, 1577 - 1640)
Artistflowers by
Osias Beert
(Flemish, c. 1580 - 1624)
Datec. 1612-1615
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFrame: 92 3/8 × 80 1/2 × 5 in. (234.6 × 204.5 × 12.7 cm)
Overall: 80 x 76 1/2 in. (203.2 x 194.3 cm)
Overall: 80 x 76 1/2 in. (203.2 x 194.3 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN219
Glycera was an ancient Greek woman known for her skill at making floral wreaths of which her lover, Pausias, made exceptionally realistic paintings. Their relationship has come to represent the rivalry between nature and art. Which is more beautiful: Glycera's flowers or Pausias's paintings of them? The friendly competition between the ancient artisans is repeated in this work, in which the viewer is asked to compare the skills of Rubens, who painted the figures, with those of Beert, who painted the floral still lifes.
On View
On viewLocation
- Museum of Art, Gallery 11, Wall North
