Observations placeholder
Rubens - Head of a Franciscan friar 1617
Identifier
010584
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Rubens was a superb technical painter, but I am convinced this was not done by Rubens but by Van Dyck, See Observation 008071 for more details. The time it was painted was at the height of Van Dyck's collaboration with Rubens.
It may be worth adding that the shaving of the monk's head was symbolically opening the way for the crown chakra to be opened - leaving an opening for spirit input, although of course the monk would not have called it a crown chakra, just a crown