A Sheet of Anatomical Studies

A Sheet of Anatomical Studies — Peter Paul Rubens. 1600/10.

Medium: Pen and brown ink on ivory laid paper. Dimensions: 27.1 × 18.8 cm (10 11/16 × 7 7/16 in.).

Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

In addition to his study of Classical antiquity, Peter Paul Rubens also developed his sense of ideal anatomical form through proto-scientific treatises, some of which represented the muscles of the body with the skin flayed. Rubens adopted this manner, known as écorché, for his compelling representation of two interlocking forearms and a face. A virtuoso performance of the use of pen and ink (perhaps the most unforgiving media since it cannot be easily blended or erased), the drawing belongs to a group of about a dozen similar sheets that Rubens intended to publish as an anatomical treatise. The project was never realized, but one of the members of his workshop distributed a series of engravings years after the artist’s death that included these images together with other highlights of the artist’s repertoire.

Description: © Art Institute of Chicago, original record, CC BY 4.0. HTML formatting removed; wording retained. Other artwork metadata: CC0.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.