Hygieia, Goddess of Health, Feeding the Serpent, circa 1614-1615
black, red and white chalk with traces of later green wash on the background Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Purchase, 1989. 89.44
Peter Paul Rubens
Flemish, 1577 - 1640
Rubens was certainly the most famous of the 17th century Flemish painters. Born in Germany, he was trained in Antwerp and between 1600 and 1608, he traveled to Italy and Spain. Recognition of his genius came quickly when he painted for the Dukes of Mantua. Upon his return to Northern Europe, he became a special envoy for Queen Isabella of Spain. Later he was knighted by Charles I of England and ennobled by the king of Spain.
Rubens was very well educated and only those of his learning would have known the identity of this figure. But, because Rubens' patrons had classical educations, they would have recognized this female personification. Hygieia, in greek mythology, personified the goddess of health and was closely associated with the male figure Asclepius, the god of healing. She was generally considered his daughter. The serpent was sacred to Asclepius, and in ancient Rome, the god was worshipped in the guise of a Serpent. Specifically, the image of a serpent drinking from a patera offered by Hygieia is known from Ancient marbles and coins.
Notably, Hygieia, Goddess of Healing, is a prepartory sketch for two oil paintings, one in Detroit and the other in Prague. In the drawing there is a greater degree of liveliness absent in the oils. The figure's hair in the drawing has a contemporary feel as if Rubens were using a contemporary model that he knew. In the painted versions, the connection to an actual person is mostly absent.
  
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