Peter Paul Rubens
The Emblem of Christ Appearing to Constantine
From $100
This painting is two faces lit by one small flame in deep darkness, and a cheap copy greys the dark and kills the glow. Our Rubens Old Woman and Boy print was graded beside the original so the darkness stays deep and the candlelight still glows.
Canvas, framed or paper
Stretched canvas. Printed on cotton canvas and stretched taut over a frame. The edges are mirror-wrapped, so the picture continues around the sides and none of it is lost to the fold.
Framed canvas. The same canvas, set in a black, white, natural wood or dark wood frame 0.83 in deep. The frame gives the work a finished edge and a little more presence on the wall.
Framed print. Printed on fine art matte paper and framed in solid pine, behind shatterproof plexiglass, in black, white, natural wood or dark wood. It arrives ready to hang. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame.
Fine art print. Printed on 310gsm fine art matte paper, for framing your own way. It travels rolled and protected. From 18x24 inch.
Sizes
16x20 inch, 24x30 inch, 32x40 inch. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.
On your wall
Its near-square shape suits a study, a reading corner or a dining room. The deep darks and warm candle glow look cosy with cream, charcoal and walnut, and a gold or black frame suits it.
About the painting
Old Woman and Boy with Candles by Peter Paul Rubens
Antwerp, 1616
In Rome, Peter Paul Rubens had seen the dramatic light and shadow of Caravaggio. Around 1616 he painted this night scene: an old woman shielding a candle, and a boy leaning in to light his own from it.
He kept this one
Rubens kept the painting all his life, until his death in 1640. In 1806 it sold in London for 950 guineas, and soon after for 2,000. Later it was lent to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Baroque
In 2004 it sold at auction for £2.5 million. With help from the Rembrandt Association and others, the Mauritshuis in The Hague acquired it, and it hangs there today.
Read the story
Peter Paul Rubens painted well over a thousand pictures. This one, he kept.
In Rome, as a young man, he'd seen the dramatic light and shadow of Caravaggio.
Around 1616, back in Antwerp, he painted this night scene.
An old woman shields a candle flame with her hand. A boy leans in, smiling, to light his own candle from hers.
Everything else is darkness.
Rubens kept the painting all his life, until his death in 1640.
In 1806 it sold in London for nine hundred and fifty guineas, and soon after for two thousand. Later it was lent to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
In 2004 it sold at auction for two and a half million pounds. With help from the Rembrandt Association and others, the Mauritshuis in The Hague bought it.
Look at the flame, and then at the two faces it lights.
Old Woman and Boy with Candles. Peter Paul Rubens, about 1616.
How each piece is brought to life
Faithful to the original, and made to be felt on your wall.
Graded against the original
We compare every work with the original as we grade it, keeping the artist’s colours true while bringing back their depth and glow. Every mark stays the artist’s own.
Printed for you
Printed to order on cotton canvas or fine art paper, then framed if you chose a frame, in 1 to 3 business days.
On your wall
It arrives 5 to 12 business days later, tracked and free anywhere in the US. Framed pieces come ready to hang.
Questions
Is this the original painting?
No. The original hangs in a museum. What you receive is a fine art reproduction, remastered from the original and printed for you, with every mark where the artist left it.
Will the colour look flat?
This is where most reproductions disappoint, and it is where we spend the most time. Each work is graded side by side with the original: faithful to the artist’s colours, with the depth and warmth brought back, so it moves you on the wall the way it was meant to. Canvas reads a touch softer than a backlit screen, and every screen shows colour a little differently.
Will the edges be cropped?
Each size is a standard frame size, so we fit the painting by trimming a little from its edges. We never stretch or squash it, and we check every size by eye so no face, figure or signature is cut. On canvas the edges are mirror-wrapped, which keeps the whole picture on the front.
Which size is right for my wall?
Aim for about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. Over a sofa or a sideboard, one of the two largest sizes will hold the wall. The size guide lists every size in inches and centimetres, with the kind of wall each one suits.
How long does it take?
Your piece is printed in 1–3 business days, then spends 5–12 business days in transit, tracked all the way. Delivery is free anywhere in the US. We are unable to deliver to PO boxes.
What if it arrives damaged?
Send us a photograph and we will remake it and send it again. There is nothing to return.
Can I return it?
Yes, within 30 days of delivery. Our returns policy has the details.
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Printed to order
Graded against the original, then printed for you on cotton canvas or fine art paper in 1–3 business days.
The whole painting
Every mark is the artist’s own, and canvas edges are mirror-wrapped so the whole picture stays on the front.
Free US shipping
On every order, tracked, 5–12 business days in transit.
30-day returns
Returns and exchanges within 30 days of delivery.
