365 Days of Art: February 23 – Italian Priest Recommends Rubens for a Job
February 23, 1608
P. Flamminio Ricci, Padre Superiore of the Roman Congregation, writes to the Oratorium Congregation in Fermo to recommend Peter Paul Rubens for a painting job. He writes:
E flammingho ma da putto allevato in Roma.
(He is Flemish but as a boy was raised in Rome).
The canvas (not an altarpiece, which would have been even more prestigious) above was completed in three months for the church.