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Notes
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This story was recorded in the Golden Legend, a medieval compilation of saints’ lives. It also recounts how Saint Ambrose rebuked the arrogance of the Emperor’s follower Ruffinus, declaring ‘Thou hast no more shame than a hound’ – something Van Dyck references by depicting a dog at Ruffinus' feet.
This picture is based on a larger version of the subject by Peter Paul Rubens (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna), painted around 1615 to 1616. Van Dyck worked in Rubens’s studio as his assistant, and was heavily influenced by the older artist.
Title
The Emperor Theodosius is forbidden by Saint Ambrose to enter Milan Cathedral
Date
about 1619-20
Medium
Oil on canvas
Measurements
H 149 x W 113.2 cm
Accession number
NG50
Acquisition method
Bought, 1824
Work type
Painting