Publisher's Synopsis
Painted altarpieces form an important and familiar part of Peter Paul Rubens's substantial oeuvre. Much less widely known is the fact that Rubens's involvement in such commissions sometimes went beyond the paintings themselves, and that he also designed sculptural framing and decorative surrounds for his patrons. There are several examples of designs by Rubens for sepulchral monuments too. These altar surrounds and tombs belong to the category of "architectural sculpture", comprising the elements of the orders of architecture and their free application on the one hand, and monumental figurative or ornamental sculptural elements on the other. This was a visual language in which Rubens was especially well versed, and he drew on it not only in his paintings but also in his designs for tapestries, title-pages, book illustrations and ephemeral decorations. Rubens's designs for architectural sculpture were more than just a natural extension o
