Govt 490 Durra Elmaki
Paper #3 July 26, 2011
The Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens has historically been one of the most expensive paintings, most recently sold in 2002 at an auction in London for $76 million to private buyer Kenneth Thomson. Ruben’s painting was highly undervalued for an extensive period of time, since it was attributed to be the work of one of his students, Jan van den Hoecke. The substantial increase in the painting’s value reflected the price tag that many feel is worthy of Rubens work, demonstrated the sharp difference in value that consumers are willing to pay for different artist, despite the fact that the painting is one and the same. This is similar to the difference in price that we find in every day products where the generic brand is substantial cheaper than the brand name item.
The canvas painting was a depiction of the soldiers of Herod, who were set out to massacre the children of Bethlehem, after the Three Wise Men had informed the king that there was a king born to the Jews. The Gospel as told by Matthew of course inspired the painting, given the challenge to the secular authority that was anticipated with the birth of the Jewish king. Ruben’s painting is explosively chaotic, conveying a sense of urgency in quickly putting an end to the threat of the secular king. Religion has historically been viewed as an alternative authority to the secular state, despite differences in political institutions. This has a great deal to do with religion authority often being perceived to be above secular laws and leadership; however, it also is seen to be a distraction from the worldly things that secular stances push for. In addition, religious laws, can prevent methods of wealth, such as the Abrahamic laws that forbid the use of interest (usury).
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