The is the former home and workshop of

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

(1577–1640) in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. 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 A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

'', 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 Isabella Brant (or Brandt; 1591 – 15 July 1626) was the first wife of the Flemish baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, who painted several portraits of her. Family She was the eldest daughter of Jan Brant, an important city official in Antw ...

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 that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

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 ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

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 ...

''. 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 cu ...

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 a ...

. The courtyard opens into a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

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, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 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 A wife (: wives) is a woman in a marital relationship. A woman who has separated from her partner continues to be a wife until their marriage is legally dissolved with a divorce judgment; or until death, depending on the kind of marriage. On t ...

. After the latter left in 1660, the house was sold. At the

Brussels International 1910 The Brussels International Exposition (; ) of 1910 was a world's fair held in Brussels, Belgium, from 23 April to 1 November 1910. This was just thirteen years after Brussels' previous world's fair. It received 13 million visitors, covered an ...

World's Fair there was a full-size reconstruction of the Rubens house, 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, Blomme left a 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 finally happened 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 Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

'' (''c''. 1600) and a

self portrait Self-portraits are Portrait painting, portraits artists make of themselves. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century ...

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 - RH.S.180 - Rubenshuis (after restoration).jpg, ''Self-portrait'' File:Peter Paul Rubens - The Annunciation.jpg, ''Annunciation'' File:Rubens Painting Adam Eve.jpg, ''Adam and Eve'' File:Peter Paul Rubens - Portrait of the landscape painter Jan Wildens.jpg, ''Portrait of the landscape painter Jan Wildens'' File:Aartshertogin Isabella Rubens.jpg, ''Portrait of

Isabella Clara Eugenia Isabella Clara Eugenia (; 12 August 1566 – 1 December 1633), sometimes referred to as Clara Isabella Eugenia, was sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, which comprised the Low Countries and the north of modern France, with her husband Albert ...

'' File:Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) De heilige Sebastiaan - Rubenshuis Antwerpen 27-09-2018.jpg, ''Saint Sebastian'' File:Peter Paul Rubens Massacre of the Innocents.jpg, ''Massacre of the Innocents'' exhibited at temporary exhibition File:Peter Paul Rubens - Portrait of Clara Serena Rubens, the artist's daughter.jpg, ''Clara Serena Rubens''

By others

File:Leyden-Rubenshuis-Noël.jpg,

Aertgen van Leyden Aertgen Claesz. van Leyden (c. 1498 – 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 found at the Rijks ...

, ''Nativity'' File:Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), Portrait of a Lady and her Daughter.png,

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

, ''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 po ...

, ''The preaching of St John the Baptist'' File:Nicolaas Rockox by Otto van Veen.jpg,

Otto van Veen Otto van Veen (also known by his Latinized names Otto Venius or Octavius Vaenius; 1556 – 6 May 1629), was a Painting, painter, Drawing, draughtsman, and Humanism, humanist active primarily in Antwerp and City of Brussels, Brussels in the late ...

, portrait of Nicolaas Rockox File:Neptunus en Amphitrite in de storm - Jordaens.jpg,

Jacob Jordaens Jacques (Jacob) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678Jacques Jordaens
in the Netherlands Institute for Ar ...

, ''Neptune and Amphitrite in the storm'' File:Jacob Jordaens - Moses and his Ethiopian wife Sephora.jpg, Jordaens, ''

Moses and his Ethiopian wife Zipporah ''Moses and his Ethiopian wife Zipporah'' (Dutch: ''Mozes en zijn Ethiopische vrouw Seporah'') is a painting of 1645–1650, by the Flemish Baroque painter Jacob Jordaens. The painting is a half-length depiction of the biblical prophet Moses, a ...

'' 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 Willem van Haecht (1593 – 12 July 1637) was a Flemish painter best known for his pictures of art galleries and collections. Life Willem van Haecht was born in Antwerp as the son of the landscape painter Tobias Verhaecht. Tobias Verhaecht ...

, ''The Gallery of

Cornelis van der Geest Cornelis van der Geest (1555 – 10 March 1638) was a spice merchant from Antwerp, who used his wealth to support the Antwerp artists and to establish his art collection. He was also the dean of the haberdashers guild. Art collection He is best k ...

'' File:Boeckhorst peasants.jpg,

Jan Boeckhorst Jan Boeckhorst or Johann Bockhorst (Münster, c. 1604 – Antwerp, 21 April 1668) was a Germany, German-born Flemish Baroque painter and draughtsman who worked most of his career in Antwerp. He was a versatile artist who produced history pain ...

and

Frans Snyders Frans Snyders or Frans Snijders (11November 157919August 1657) was a Flemish painter of animals, hunting scenes, market scenes, and still lifes. A versatile artist, his works depict all sorts of foods, utensils, and tableware and wide assortment ...

, ''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 (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

, ''Self-portrait'' File:Adam de Coster - De Verloochening van de H. Petrus - RH.LBI.2014.008 - Rubenshuis.jpg,

Adam de Coster Adam de Coster (c. 1586 in Mechelen – 4 May 1643 in Antwerp) was a Flemish painter. He was a prominent member of the Antwerp Caravaggisti. These Caravaggisti were part of an international movement of European artists who interpreted the w ...

, ''The Denial of Saint Peter'' File:Adriaen Brouwer - Drinking peasant.jpg,

Adriaen Brouwer Adriaen Brouwer ( – January 1638) was a Flemish painter active in Flanders and the Dutch Republic in the first half of the 17th century.Gonzales Coques Gonzales Coques (between 1614 and 1618 – 18 April 1684) was a Flemish painter of portraits and history paintings.Veronique van Passel, "Coques ocks; Cox Gonzales onsael; Gonsalo, ''Grove Art Online''. Oxford University Press, Jan Brueghel the Elder, ''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 Antwerp Museums established in 1946 1946 establishments in Belgium Peter Paul Rubens Works by Peter Paul Rubens Museums devoted to one artist