One of the special exhibits currently on display at the National Gallery of Art (NGA) is three paintings by Peter Paul Rubens. I had read about these paintings in the Washington Post, but forgot to look for them when I was recently at the NGA with a friend. Earlier this week, I went downtown to go to a sketching group at the Luce Center, but there was a power outage and the museum was closed. After checking a couple of other spots, I decided to see if the NGA was open and it was, so I looked these paintings up. It was well worth it.
They are beautiful portraits, done about 1618, in Antwerp, Belgium. I got more than beautiful art, though, as read the museum notes. These paintings are an example of a specific tradition regarding the portrayal of the three wise men: Balthasar, Gaspar, and Melchoir. They represent three ages of man (young, prime, and aged) and three continents (Europe, Asia and Africa.)
It is interesting to know that Rubens was commissioned by Balthasar Moretus. At the time, Moretus ran Plantin Press. which was Europe's largest printing press. Morteus had two older brothers, named Gaspar and Melchoir. Knowing that added another layer of meaning.
I was drawn to see these, not only because of their beauty, but because this is the first time these three paintings have been shown together since 1881, when they were sold at auction. The portrait of the oldest, Gaspar, belongs to the Museo de Arte de Ponce, in Puerto Rico. The middle-aged Melchoir belongs to the National Gallery of Art and the young king Balthasar is the property of the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp. The National Gallery of Art received the Melchoir painting in 1943 as a gift from the Chester Dale Collection on the condition that it would not travel or be displayed at other institutions. So, this particular exhibit was rare. I may look at them again before the exhibit closes July 5.
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