Allegory of Peace – Peace And War Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

Description of Peter Rubens’ painting Allegory of War and Peace

This painting is an example of how art can sometimes solve world problems. Peter Paul Rubens’ Allegory of War and Peace was commissioned from the artist by the King of Spain as a gift to the King of England. The peace treaty between Spain and England was signed largely due to the artist’s talented portrayal of the impropriety of war.

In the painting we see the Roman pantheon of gods. In the middle is a picture of a naked girl - she represents peaceful life. To her right, we see a small child that she is feeding with milk. This baby is the god of wealth. War has always ravaged the treasury of the state, so the peaceful life in the picture is accompanied by wealth. In front of the girl is a satyr, holding a horn of plenty, from which various fruits fall out. The horn of plenty, of course, is also a symbol of well-being, wealth, money and the fertility of the earth. On the left side of the painting are two young girls. One of them plays the tambourine, symbolizing dancing, joy and fun. The second girl is carrying a large, deep basin. The vessel is made of pure gold and decorated with various precious stones. Inside the basin are also cups, vases of gold, beads of natural pearls. This basin of pure gold symbolizes not only wealth, but also an offering. That is, the painting by Peter Paul Rubens is presented to the English king as well as this vessel full of gold ornaments.

In the foreground we see four small children and one angel. The children also represent peaceful life, family happiness. The background of the work is dedicated to war, or rather to the prevention of war. The Roman goddess of wisdom Minerva drives away the god of war, Mars. The girl is depicted in a belligerent pose, in armor and with a weapon in her hands - she clearly intends to drive out Mars.