Erasmus Quellinus II (Antwerp 1607-1678)

This painting was formerly attributed to Sir Peter Paul Rubens by both Wilhelm Reinhold Valentiner and Justus Müller-Hofstede, the former of whom considered it a sketch for the artist's decorations for the triumphal entry of the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand into Antwerp in 1635. Julius Held and Jacques Foucart subsequently identified it as a work by an artist in Rubens' studio, suggesting an attribution to Quellinus. Jean-Pierre de Bruyn later endorsed the attribution to Quellinus (loc. cit.), dating the work to circa 1636-1637 on the basis of its stylistic affinities with the artist's Rape of Europa and Death of Eurydice (both Museo del Prado, Madrid). Quellinus was at the time working alongside Rubens on the execution of several canvases for the Torre de la Parada, Philip IV of Spain's hunting lodge outside Madrid.
Held described the painting as an allegory of Faith and Hope, identifying the standing figures as personifications of these theological virtues. De Bruyn argued the painting should instead be seen as a Triumph of Hope, noting the prominent inclusion of the two anchors and heart, a traditional symbol of charity (loc. cit.). Various Christian Fathers connected the idea of hope with the anchor's constancy, among them Saint Paul, who wrote in his Epistle to the Hebrews that Hope is set before us 'as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm' (Hebrews 6:19).