Battle of Horsemen (verso), 1635-39 (black and red chalk on laid paper)

Study for 'The Bath of Diana' (recto)/A Battle of Horsemen (verso) Greek mythology recounts the tale of a young hunter, Actaeon, who is punished for stumbling upon the virginal Goddess of the Hunt, Diana, enjoying a bath in a spring surrounded by her nymphs. Here, Diana is the only figure with direct eye contact, but her nymphs have yet to react to the intrusion. Rubens has swiftly established the basic elements of the composition in ink in preparation for a painting (Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam), primarily considering the placement and interactions between figures with only an indication of the background.