![]() He was also the god of agriculture (an appropriate companion for Ceres) and was traditionally accompanied by satyrs and maenads (dancing nymphs). They may be followers of Bacchus, the god of wine and festivity, which would explain the leopard in the foreground: Bacchus’ chariot was pulled by leopards. The role of the two women on the left is less certain. The putto holds an olive wreath, another reference to peace. Just above the head of Pax, another putto carries a caduceus (a short staff with two entwined snakes), an attribute of the messenger god Mercury, whose associations included the ideals of fair exchange and reciprocation in negotiation. The boy holding the torch is probably intended as the god of marriage, Hymen. They suggest both the innocence of youth and the hopes of future generations. With the help of a satyr and a putto, she shares her bounty, a cornucopia of the fruits of the earth, with the group of children in the foreground. She feeds the child Plutus, god of wealth, with milk from her breast. The woman in the centre represents Pax (Peace), but Rubens seems to have also given her the qualities of Ceres, goddess of the earth. To understand Rubens’s agenda we have to identify the figures – a combination of mythological beings, Roman gods and real people – and what they stand for. The message is in allegorical form: the figures in the painting personify different emotions, virtues or other abstract concepts, and there is a clear moral narrative. Charles was an enthusiastic art collector, and with this painting Rubens was both appealing to his connoisseurship and delivering a diplomatic message. The two countries had been at war for five years and both sides were keen for a peace deal. ![]() The most famous artist in the world at the time, Rubens was also a skilled negotiator and he had come to London as more than just a painter – he was an envoy of Philip IV of Spain. This picture was made for King Charles I of England and given to him by Rubens in 1630.
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