Peter Paul Rubens
Self-Portrait
From $80
This painting is red, gold and sky blue, and a cheap copy dulls the quick strokes. Our Rubens Constantine print was graded from a high-resolution master so every flick of the brush stays alive.
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
20x16 inch, 30x24 inch, 40x32 inch. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.
On your wall
Its wide shape suits a living room, a bedroom or a hallway. The reds and golds look lovely with white, sand and natural oak, and a gold or dark walnut frame suits it.
About the painting
The Emblem of Christ Appearing to Constantine by Peter Paul Rubens
By this sign
Legend says that before a battle in 312, the emperor Constantine saw a cross in the sky and heard a voice: “By this sign shalt thou conquer.” He put the cross on his army’s emblem in place of the Roman eagle, and won.
A tapestry sketch
Rubens painted this oil sketch in 1622 for a set of tapestries on the life of Constantine. The tapestries now hang on the museum’s Great Stair Hall Balcony.
The one they did not weave
This design was not used. The Philadelphia tapestry of the scene follows a different version by the Italian painter Pietro da Cortona. The sketch came with the John G. Johnson Collection.
Read the story
Soldiers in armour crowd together and point up at the sky. At the front, the emperor, in a red cloak, raises his arm. Above them floats a sign, a cross.
The story is from the year 312. Before a battle, the Roman emperor Constantine saw a cross in the sky, and heard a voice say: by this sign you will conquer.
He put the cross on his army's emblem in place of the Roman eagle, and he won. His victory helped Christianity spread across the Roman empire.
Peter Paul Rubens painted this quick oil sketch in 1622, as a design for a set of tapestries telling the life of Constantine.
The tapestries were woven, and today they hang in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, on the balcony of the Great Stair Hall.
But this scene was never used. The tapestry of it in Philadelphia follows a design by an Italian painter, Pietro da Cortona.
So Rubens's version survives only here, in paint, on a small wooden panel. It came to the museum with the John G. Johnson Collection.
Look at the hands, all pointing upward.
The Emblem of Christ Appearing to Constantine. Peter Paul Rubens, 1622.
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.
