The Rubenshuis () is the former home and workshop of

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradit ...

(1577–1640) in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. Purchased in 1610, Rubens had the Flemish townhouse renovated and extended on the basis of designs by Rubens himself. After the renovations, the house and its courtyard garden had the outlook of an Italian '' palazzo'', which reflected the artistic ideals of Rubens. The ensemble is now a museum dedicated mainly to the work of Rubens and his contemporaries.

Rubens's house during his lifetime

A year after marrying Isabella Brant in 1609, Rubens began construction of an Italian-style

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became ...

on the then-Vaartstraat (now the Wapper, 9–11), at the time located at the banks of the Herentalse Vaart canal. Rubens designed the building himself, based on studies of

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

architecture that also formed the basis of his ''

Palazzi di Genova ''Palazzi di Genova'' is a 1622 book written and illustrated by Peter Paul Rubens, depicting and describing the palaces of Genoa, Italy in 72 plates. A second volume with 67 further plates was added the same year, and they are usually found (and r ...

''. The layout included his home, studio, a monumental

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...

and an interior

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

. The courtyard opens into a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

garden that he also planned. In the adjacent studio, he and his students executed many of the works for which Rubens is famous. He had established a well-organised workshop that met the demands of his active studio, including large commissions from England, France, Spain and

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

and other locations. He relied on students and collaborators for much of the actual work. Rubens himself, however, guaranteed the quality and often finished paintings with his own hand. In a separate private studio he made drawings, portraits and small paintings without the assistance of his students and collaborators.

Rubens's house after his lifetime

Rubens spent most of his lifetime in this building. After his death, his wife Helena Fourment let the building to William Cavendish and his wife. After the latter left in 1660, the house was sold. On the World's Fair Brussels International 1910 there was a real-size reconstruction of the house of P.P. Rubens, built by the architect Henri Blomme. The reconstruction was a romantic interpretation of what the building used to be, full of ornaments, but it promoted the idea to save the building. After his death in 1921, the architect Henri Blomme left an important legacy to the city of Antwerp to buy the house.Rutger J. Tijs, ''P.P. Rubens en J. Jordaens, barok in eigen huis'', Stichting Mercators-Plantijn v.z.w., Antwerpen, 1983. This happened finally in 1937. The city bought the house in 1937 and after an extensive restoration the Rubenshuis was opened to the public in 1946. Dozens of paintings and artworks by Rubens and his contemporaries were installed in the rooms, as well as period furniture. Paintings include his early '' Adam and Eve'' (''c''. 1600) and a

self portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

made when he was about fifty. The Rubenianum, a centre and archive dedicated to the study of Rubens, is in a building at the rear of the garden.

Collection

By Rubens

File:Peter Paul Rubens - Self-Portrait - WGA20380.jpg, ''Self-portrait'' File:Peter Paul Rubens - Annunciation - WGA20250.jpg, ''Annunciation'' File:Rubens Painting Adam Eve.jpg, ''Adam and Eve'' File:Aartshertog Albrecht Rubens.jpg, ''Portrait of Albert VII, Archduke of Austria'' File:Aartshertogin Isabella Rubens.jpg, ''Portrait of

Isabella Clara Eugenia Isabella Clara Eugenia ( es, link=no, Isabel Clara Eugenia; 12 August 1566 – 1 December 1633), sometimes referred to as Clara Isabella Eugenia, was sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands in the Low Countries and the north of modern France with ...

'' File:Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) De heilige Sebastiaan - Rubenshuis Antwerpen 27-09-2018.jpg, ''Saint Sebastian'' File:Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) De kindermoord te Bethlehem - Rubenshuis Antwerpen 27-09-2018.jpg, ''Massacre of the Innocents'' exhibited at temporary exhibition File:Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) Clara Serena Rubens (1611-1623) Rubenshuis Antwerpen 28-5-2016 10-38-59.JPG, ''Clara Serena Rubens''

By others

File:Leyden-Rubenshuis-Noël.jpg,

Aertgen van Leyden Aertgen Claesz. van Leyden (Leiden, c. 1498 – Leiden, c. 1564), also known as Allaert or Aert van Leyden or Aert Claesz. van Leyden, was a 16th-Century Dutch painter, draughtsman and designer of stained glass. Works by this artist can be foun ...

, ''Nativity'' File:Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), Portrait of a Lady and her Daughter.png, Titian, ''Portrait of a Lady and her Daughter'' File:Adam van Noort - The preaching of St John the Baptist.jpg,

Adam van Noort Adam van Noort (1561/62 – 1641) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman and one of the teachers of Peter Paul Rubens, and the only teacher of Jacob Jordaens. Adam van Noort was mainly known for his history paintings but he also created some ...

, ''The preaching of St John the Baptist'' File:Nicolaas Rockox by Otto van Veen.jpg, Otto van Veen, portrait of Nicolaas Rockox File:Neptunus en Amphitrite in de storm - Jordaens.jpg, Jacob Jordaens, ''Neptune and Amphitrite in the storm'' File:Jacob Jordaens - Moses and his Ethiopian wife Sephora.jpg, Jordaens, '' Moses and his Ethiopian wife Zipporah'' File:Venus en Mars - Frans Floris.jpg,

Frans Floris Frans Floris, Frans Floris the Elder or Frans Floris de Vriendt (17 April 15191 October 1570) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman, print artist and tapestry designer. He is mainly known for his history paintings, allegorical scenes and portraits.< ...

, ''Venus and Mars'' File:Willem van Haecht - The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest, 1628.jpg, Willem van Haecht, ''The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest'' File:Boeckhorst peasants.jpg,

Jan Boeckhorst Jan Boeckhorst or Johann Bockhorst (c. 1604 – 21 April 1668) was a German-born Flemish Baroque painter and draughtsman. He was a versatile artist who produced history paintings, genre scenes and portraits in a style influenced by the trio ...

and Frans Snyders, ''Peasants on the Way to the Market'' File:Antoon van Dyck (1599-1641) Zelfportret (vroeger Rubens) Rubenshuis Antwerpen 27-09-2018.jpg,

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh ...

, ''Self-portrait'' File:Philip IV. and Ferdinand of Austria.jpg,

Gerard Seghers Gerard SeghersGerard Seghers
at the

Adriaen Brouwer, ''Drinking peasant'' File:Gonzales-Coques-St Agnes.jpg, Gonzales Coques, ''Saint Agnes'' File:Bonaventura Peeters - The battle at the Blokkersdijk of 1605.JPG,

Bonaventura Peeters Bonaventura Peeters (I) or Bonaventura Peeters the Elder (23 July 1614 – 25 July 1652) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and etcher. He became one of the leading marine artists in the Low Countries in the first half of the 17th century wit ...

, ''The battle at the Blokkersdijk of 1605'' File:Jan Breughel I-Singerie.jpg,

Jan Brueghel the Elder Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Elder (, ; ; 1568 – 13 January 1625) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He was the son of the eminent Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. A close friend and frequent collaborat ...

, ''Monkeys feasting''

Notes

External links

360°-panorama van de Rubenshuis
{{Authority control Museums in Antwerp Biographical museums in Belgium Houses in Belgium Historic house museums in Belgium Art museums and galleries in Belgium Museums established in 1946 1946 establishments in Belgium Peter Paul Rubens Works by Peter Paul Rubens Museums devoted to one artist