RUBENS, Peter Paul
(b. 1577, Siegen, d. 1640, Antwerpen)

Old Woman with a Basket of Coal

1618-20
Oil on wood, 115 x 92 cn
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

From 1616 onwards Rubens was able to illustrate dramatic scenes with a reliance on Caravaggio's sharp contrasts of light. This painting represents this aspect of Rubens's work well.