Susanna and the Elders

Closely related to our painting is a drawing by Schut (Vienna, Albertina, inv. no 8391) as well as an engraving (after Schut by Johanes Blonddus in reverse). Both the drawing and the engraving are slightly more detailed, leading us to suspect that the painter mainly wanted to make a light-and-dark impression before making the major work: indeed, our grisaille is probably a preliminary study for a lost painting (sold at auction house Chasles in Brussels in 1929). Another possibility is that Schut first made the oil sketch and the large work, after which he copied it to be converted into engraving afterwards.
Whatever the case, Cornelis Schut Schut was active in Rubens' studio and must have been strongly inspired by his working methods: both drawings and oil sketches (on paper, canvas and panel) were used as working materials to be later converted into works of larger format or engraving. Although stylistically our work is close to Rubens' oil sketches, here we are dealing with an original composition by Schut himself.
Oil on panel, 34,4 x 24cm