400th birthday of Peter Paul Rubens - Germany / German Democratic Republic 1977 - 50 Pfennig

Gemäldegalerie Dresden - Peter Paul Rubens On the occasion of the 400th birthday of the famous Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of the German Democratic Republic publishes six multi-colored special postage stamps with pictures of paintings from the Gemäldegalerie Dresden. Each value also carries the text "Gemädegalerie Dresden - Peter Paul Rubens 1577 - 1640". Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) Rubens is one of the most important representatives of Flemish Baroque painting. He was one of the most prolific artists we know. His art, full of joie de vivre, strength and festivity, was an excellent way of expressing a glamorous lifestyle in the age of absolutism. The artist maintained an extensive workshop operation in Antwerp. He was very versatile and has shown equal mastery in fields as diverse as portrait, landscape and animal image, mythological and religious depictions. The Dresden gallery owns a significant collection of his works. 50 Pfennig value: Leda with the swan. Early work. Oil on oak wood, 122 x 182 cm, Gal. 71 Shown is an episode from ancient mythology. Leda was the wife of the Spartan king Tyndareos. She had a love affair with Zeus, who approached her in the form of a swan to conceal adultery from his wife, Hera. The twins Kastor and Pollux as well as the beautiful Helena came out of this union. Rubens painted the picture after a lost original Michelangelo, which was in the early 16th century in the collection King Francis 1st of France.