OIL PAINTING: The Deposition, 1602
In July 1600 Rubens started to work for Vincenzo I, the Duke of Mantua who was an art lover as well as a collector of exquisite paintings. The Duke's collection served as study material for Rubens . During trips through Italy Rubens was able to see and study oil paintings by other famous Italian masters such as Carracci, Titian, Raffael and Michelangelo. In 1603 Rubens traveled to Spain to accompany a collection of paintings and gifts that were send to the Spanish king Fillip III on behalf of the Duke of Mantua. Back in Mantua Rubens would make his first important paintings , such as 'The The Deposition '. In the fall of 1608 he received a message that his mother in Antwerp was dying. Rubens returned to his home town immediately only to find that his mother had already passed away.