Page 46 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

44 EUROPE Rubens' House, Antwerp

Peter Paul Rubens' home and studio for the last 30 years of his
life, from 1610 to 1640, is found on Wapper Square in Antwerp.
The city bought the premises just before World War II, but the
house had fallen into disrepair, and what can be seen today is
the result of careful restoration. Rubens' House (Rubenshuis) is
divided into two sections and offers a fascinating insight into
how the artist lived and worked. To the left of the entrance are
the narrow rooms of the artist's living quarters, equipped with
period furniture. Behind this part of the house is the kunstkamer,
or art gallery, where Rubens exhibited both his own and other
artists' work, and entertained his friends and wealthy patrons
PETER PAUL RUBENS (1577-1640)
Rubens had apprenticeships With prominent such as the Archduke Albert and the Infanta Isabella. To the right
Antvverp artists from an early age and was of the entrance lies the main studio, a spacious salon where
inspired to visit Italy in 1600 to study and copy Rubens worked on-and showed-his paintings.
the work of the ltali an Renaissance masters.
On returning to Antvverp in 1608, Rubens'
< Kunstkamer Statue of Neptune in
reputation earned him an appointment as court
This art gallery contains a series of painted the courtyard
painter to the governors of the Low Countries, sketches by Rubens. At the far end is a
the Archduke Jl.lbert and his wife, the Infanta semicircular dome, modeled on Rome's
Pantheon, displaying a number of marble busts.
Isabella. He became the most renowned
Baroque painter in Europe, combining Flemish
realism with the Classical imagery of Italian <Bedroom
Renaissance art. After 162 6, he was assigned
diplomatic missions and nominated to the
courts of Charles I in England, Marie de' Medici
in France and Felipe IV in Spain.ln 1630, having RELIGIOUS WORKS
helped to conclude a treaty betvveen England
Rubens was a fervent
and Spain, he was knighted by Charles I for his
Roman Catholic,
peacemaking efforts. In his later years, Rubens
prompting magnificent
focused once more on his painting.
religious and allegorical
masterpieces. Several
RUBENS IN ANTWERP of these can be seen in
On his return to Antvverp in 1608, Rubens was Antwerp, including the
swamped by commissions from the nobility, beautiful ceiling of the
Church, and state. He painted pictures for Jesuit church of St.
church altarpieces, etched, engraved, designed Ignatius and a triptych in
the Cathedral of Our Lady.
tapestries, and planned entire pageants. His
well-run studio, modeled on those in Italy,
was able to meet the demand and under his < Rubens' Studio
guidance, a school of superior artists flourished. It is estimated that Rubens produced
some 2,500 paintings in this large, high-
ceilinged room. In order to meet this
RUBENS' HOUSE DESIGN
huge number of commissions, Rubens
Rubens' sojourn in Italy (1600-08) influenced often sketched a work before passing it
his views on architecture as well as painting. on to be completed by other artists
employed in the studio.
Rubens' House was embellished to reflect his
love of Italian Renaissance forms, incorporating
Classical arches and sculpture (RenaissanceS tyle,
see p.131) His style boldly contrasted with the v Dining Room Baroque Portico v
architectural traditions of the day and bears
witness to his voracious creativity. It was here
that he received prominent guests throughout
his career. The house is entered as Rubens
intended through the main gate, which leads
to an inner courtyard that creates an imposing
impression of the surrounding features. The
opulent Baroque Portico (Baroque Style, see
p.80) betvveen the courtyard and the Formal
Gardens was designed by the artist him self.
The renovations completed in 1946 were based
on the artist's ori gina I sketches.