In the past, the practice of master copying was a central component in the methods of training painters. It began at the very beginning of a student’s training and often lasted long after the individual had reached mastery. Rubens continued the practice into his advanced years and Ingres was still studying on the day he died. “Copying”, wrote Delacroix, “herein lay the education of most of the great masters.” Through master copies an artist forms a link his artistic lineage and can study directly under any master he chooses. People study these finished works to get inside the artist's head and answer the question “How did he do it?”