Rubens was the supreme draughtsman. Unfortunately he signed very few drawings, and sholars have not yet been able to establish a critical catalogue of his vast output in the medium. In his classic study, first published in 1959, Julius Held selected and authenticated drawings and classified them according to the function they performed in Rubens' work.

The most important category consists of projects for compositions, ranging from sketchy first drafts to more elaborate designs. Then there are Rubens' drawings from life, which he executed in the studio or out of doors; they include the large portrait studies that are his most famous and most popular works in this medium. The third group comprises drawings which Rubens made as models for other artists, who would translate them into sculpture, engraving or woodcut. Lastly, there are Rubens' copies from other artists and the drawings by pupils and others which the master retouched. In the quarter of a century since original publication, this work has never been surpassed. For the new edition, Professor Held has revisited his selection and taken account of new Rubens scholarship. All the illustration have been newly reproduced and the book has been entirely redesigned to provide a visually superb as well as scholarly review of the work of a major artist.