The Prophets David and Daniel

The drawing The Prophets David and Daniel by Peter Paul Rubens, dated 1601-1602, originates from his crucial early period spent studying classical and Renaissance art in Italy. This preparatory work, classified as a drawing, showcases a technique highly elaborate for a sketch. Rubens utilized red chalk as the structural basis, subsequently layering the forms with brushwork, red and pink wash, and bodycolor, before applying precise touches heightened with white. This complex layering gives the work a remarkable richness and tonal depth typically associated with painting.

The composition features two dynamic male figures, the prophets David and Daniel, possibly intended as designs for a larger altarpiece or decorative program. While David is often recognizable by his harp, Daniel’s portrayal emphasizes prophetic intensity and physical vigor. The dramatic use of wash highlights the figures’ muscular anatomy, granting them three-dimensional weight characteristic of the emerging Baroque movement. The inclusion of smaller supporting angels, or putti, interacting near the prophets further enhances the composition's celestial drama.

This piece demonstrates Rubens's early absorption of Italian Renaissance ideals, particularly the volumetric and anatomical precision learned from masters like Michelangelo. Though this piece is a study, the detailed execution confirms Rubens’s exceptional skill even before he established his major Antwerp workshop. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds this significant drawing within its permanent collection. Given its age and status, high-resolution imagery and prints derived from this Baroque masterwork are often found in public domain archives, ensuring the continued study of works like The Prophets David and Daniel.