Ben van Beneden

If there is a favorite son for the city of Antwerp, it must be Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), one of the original greats of the Flemish Old Masters. Like many of his peers, the lure of the Italian Renaissance pulled him away for eight years, returning to Antwerp in 1608 becoming one of the most sought-after artist of his time. The Rubenshuis was his home, his art studio – professional and academy, and his sanctuary modeled after Roman architecture even if it meant impractical marble floors in a much colder climate. The house is a mix of original and refurbished; the book does a good job explaining the mix and the overall details.

The book started out much more ‘house’ than paintings, i.e. its history, architecture, layout, purpose. It’s no surprise that furnishings are to the best abilities of the restorers but only one piece, a chair, definitively belonged to Rubens; all others are representative of the period. I was enthralled by the unique stamped art leather squares used as wallpaper in several of the rooms and happy to see photos in the book. The house had many art pieces, a mix of Rubens and those he had collected. Here’s a selection:

“Adam and Eve” – before 1600, Peter Paul Rubens
Adam and Eve themselves showcase his Italian learnings, complete with that humorous extended curl of leaves covering the privates, while the background is the more classic Flemish with neutral tones.

“The Annunication” – 1628, Peter Paul Rubens
The glow of lighting, the sweet faces, and a blue cloth painted with grounded lapis lazuli, a semi-precious stone

“Michiel Ophovious” – one by Studio of Rubens, one by Peter Paul Rubens
A pair of work illustrating the differences of one done by his pupils/studio assistants vs. Rubens himself. I like the Studio’s better! Lol

“Anthony Van Dyck” – 1617, Peter Paul Rubens
Though attributed to Rubens, this piece might be done by Van Dyck as a self-portrait, the most talented assistant of Rubens who gained significant fame.

“The Battle of the Amazons” – 1615, Peter Paul Rubens
The book did a comparison of the original canvas and a print of this piece made for mass distribution by Ruben’s studio. Who wouldn’t want an art with a decapitated dead body hanging off a bridge decorating their home?

“The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest” – 1628, Willem van Haecht
The book did an excellent job with detail photos of the various portions of this ‘picture-in-picture’ piece. And this: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Gallery_of_Cornelis_van_der_Geest.JP...

“Rubens and his Son Albert before a statue of ‘Hecate Triformis’” – 17th C, unknown master
Need to pay homage to the book cover art… (mais)