The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus

The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus (1618) by Peter Paul Rubens. Its palette is led by golden umber (#9a8e75, 29%) and taupe (#674e33, 25%), with accents of pale sand. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.

Color note

Rubens painted luminous flesh by laying thin, warm glazes over light grounds so the ground glows through. At the French Academy around 1700, the “Rubénistes” made him their model in the argument that color matters more than drawing.

Palette

#9a8e75 MG 182 golden umber 29.0% of canvas
#674e33 MG 176 taupe 25.1% of canvas
#443322 MG 177 dark taupe 22.2% of canvas
#2a231a MG 219 bistre 18.5% of canvas
#c8b88b MG 180 pale sand 5.2% of canvas

Color families

Brown 71%, Black 16%, Gray 9%, Yellow 3%, Orange 1%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.46
Contrast: 0.48
Vividness: 0.038
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 181 cells
Hue range: 0.39
Focus: 0.15

Composition

57% of the visual weight is in the left half, 55% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.49 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 16% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 35% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1618
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 224.0 × 210.5 cm
Genre: nude
Collection: Bavarian State Painting Collections, Munich

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