# Portrait of Nicolas Trigault in Chinese Costume

**Peter Paul Rubens** (Flemish, 1577–1640)  
1617  
Black, red, and white chalk, blue pastel, and pen and brown and black ink on light brown laid paper  
17 9/16 x 9 3/4 in. (44.6 x 24.8 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999.222. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/337844).

## About this work

The Flemish Jesuit Nicolas Trigault, who had worked as a missionary in China, wears the robes and hat of a Chinese scholar in this drawing made by Rubens in Antwerp in 1617, while Trigault was touring Europe to win support for the mission. Rubens worked in black, red and white chalk with touches of blue pastel, capturing the sweep of the silk and the missionary’s alert, bearded face. Trigault had recently published an influential account of China based on the journals of Matteo Ricci.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Peter Paul Rubens drew this in 1617, aged 40. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Pastel.** Sticks of almost pure pigment with very little binder. The colour sits on the paper as powder: bright, matte and fragile.
- **Chalk.** Natural black, red and white chalks. Used together on toned paper they could give the warmth of flesh with very little effort, and they were favourites for studies from life.
- **Pen and ink.** Drawn with a quill or reed pen, often with wash added by brush to model light and shadow.

### [Peter Paul Rubens](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/peter-paul-rubens)

Flemish, 1577–1640; born in Siegen; died in Antwerp

Rubens was born in Siegen, raised in Antwerp and spent eight formative years in Italy, mainly in the service of the Duke of Mantua. Settling in Antwerp in 1608, he ran a large, efficient studio that produced altarpieces, ceilings and tapestry designs for courts across Europe, from the Medici cycle in Paris to the Banqueting House ceiling in London. He also served as a diplomat. Isabella Brant and later Helena Fourment, his two wives, appear often in his work.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Drawings
- The artist was 40
- Real size: about 18 × 10 in (45 × 25 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 11 × 14 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 17th century
- Subjects: Men, Portraits
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1031.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1031/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/portrait-of-nicolas-trigault-in-chinese-costume-met-337844).