Rubens was a remarkable individual. Not only was he an enormously successful painter whose workshop produced a staggering number of works, but he also played an important diplomatic role in 17th-century European politics.

He was born in Siegen in Germany, but from the age of 10 he lived and went to school in Antwerp. After completing his training as an artist, he set out for Italy in 1600 in order to see for himself the great Renaissance and classical works that he knew from copies. For eight years, he travelled and worked in Spain, copying and incorporating the techniques of Renaissance and classical art.

Rubens returned to Antwerp in 1608, and in 1609 was appointed court painter to the rulers of the Netherlands, the Archduke Albert and his wife Isabella. He lived in a grand house in a fashionable part of Antwerp, building a large studio to accommodate his pupils and assistants (he received far too many commissions to complete them all single-handedly). His major business was altarpieces and history cycles – particularly suitable for an artist who enjoyed working on a grand scale.

Following the death of his wife, Isabella, Rubens became increasingly involved with diplomatic work in the mid-1620s. He spent 18 months abroad, and was called upon to negotiate in France, Spain and England as Secretary to Philip IV’s Council for the Spanish Netherlands.

Having returned to Antwerp, in his later years Rubens married again and devoted himself entirely to painting. One of his most important patrons in the 1630s was King Philip IV of Spain who commissioned over 80 paintings.

Bought, 1844 NG194

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