Black Ethiopians and the origin of ‘materia prima’ in Rubens’ images of Creation

Abstract

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) included several black figures in his paintings, in particular in mythological and Christian scenes. Scholars, among which Elizabeth McGrath, have devoted a great deal of attention to Rubens' representation of Ethiopians, sometimes relating them to satyr-like, bacchanalian creatures in the company of Silenus, and in other cases as representatives of pagan people who became Christians. Relying largely on classical sources, McGrath further argued that in Rubens' bacchic scenes, black participants were manifestations of natural exuberance and endless joy, while the inclusion of the African man among the saved in the Last Judgement (1615-1616) supports the view that Rubens did not convey any racial stereotypes. Building upon McGrath's research, the author proposes alternative views of Rubens' symbolic approach to the black figure in both secular and religious contexts. The fascinating content of Rubens' Theoretical notebook plainly shows how this erudite painter was very much aware of modern natural philosophical debates and contemporary notions of Paracelsian alchemy. This article sketches Rubens' participation to an intellectual milieu wherein scientific subjects were discussed. For instance, Justus Lipsius (1547-1606) stated that knowledge of nature constituted an essential source of `philosophia moralis'. The allegorical reading of pagan myths and Christian narrative - a method encouraged by Lipsius - was conceived as an important tool for understanding the natural world. Commenting on early seventeenth-century discussions on the prime matter and its fundamental role in the creation of the universe and every existing being, the author argues that Rubens' depiction of black Ethiopians might include symbolic references to alchemy and other scientific disciplines of his time. The intertwinement of the spiritual and material worlds makes Rubens a fascinating artistic interpreter of Lipsius' revival of Stoic physics.