Pre-Felton works attributed to or after Rubens
Rubens [after] The Garden of Love {1904} NGV [PA]
Unknown after Rubens Descent from the Cross {1868} NGV [PR]
A highly prolific and talented painter with a strong devotion to classical antiquity, Rubens made a remarkable contribution to the development of the Baroque style in early 17th century Europe. His works were widely disseminated through engravings, both during his lifetime and later.
The Garden of Love, selected for the NGV in 1904, under the terms of Alfred Felton’s will, was listed from the outset only as attributed to Rubens, although it was the most highly valued of the works chosen from Felton’s personal collection.
Several paintings and drawings more firmly ascribed to Rubens, and many further engravings after his works, were acquired for the NGV after 1905.
Refs.
The literature on Rubens is voluminous; a seminal study, written by 19th-century German historian Jakob Burckhardt, was published in English as Recollections of Rubens (Phaidon, 1950)
For the NGV’s holdings of works by, attributed to, or after Rubens, see Hoff (1995), pp.257-61; and https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/?type=collection&s=Rubens&from=4