Arnoldo Francesco Rubens (Antwerp, 1687-1719), Battle with horsemen in a river landscape

Arnoldo Francesco Rubens (Antwerp, 1687-1719) Battle with horsemen in a river landscape (2) Oil on canvas, cm 30 x 39 With frame, cm 51 x 58 Signed lower left “Rubens”   Arnoldo Francesco Rubens (1687–1719) was a Flemish Baroque painter specializing in cabinet paintings of landscapes and battle scenes. Rubens was born in Antwerp, son of the art dealer Arnold Rubens and Catharina Pannens. Little is known about his life and training: according to what contemporary sources tell us, he may have been self-taught, copying paintings and prints available in his father's shop. Certainly, he became a master in the Guild of Saint Luke of Antwerp in 1715. His work consists mainly of cabinet paintings depicting landscapes - many of his landscapes are fluvial or marine - and battle scenes. He also copied paintings by his famous namesake Peter Paul Rubens, to whom he is not believed to be directly related. In his biographies of Dutch painters published between 1729 and 1769, the scholar Jacob Campo Weyerman showed appreciation for the depiction of the faces of the soldiers and Rubens' palette. Furthermore, Jacob Campo Weyerman also demonstrates that he appreciates the painter's particularly affable personality, which is described in these terms: «Moreover, that little artist is very courteous and friendly for one born in Antwerp, whose citizens are usually so proud and hostile to foreigners as so many inflated Lucifers, and clearly show that they descend from the Spanish officers and soldiers of the Duke of Alba». The two canvases present a group of horsemen involved in a lively battle. The figures are small but detailed, with bright colors that stand out against the more subdued background. Horses and horsemen engaged in combat can be identified, some with lances or swords, others on horseback. The background shows a landscape with dark trees on the sides, which masterfully frame the central scene. In the distance, a city with buildings and a hill can be seen. The sky is clear, with white clouds that add depth to the scene. The two works show clear analogies with some of Rubens' most famous pictorial passages, including the Battle between Europeans and Turks of the Hermitage Museum and the Carnival in an Italian square, recently on the antiquarian market.