Illustrated Biographies Of

Home , Christ on the Cross, Helena Fourment, Isabella Brant, Jan Rubens, Justus van Egmont, Orleans Collection

—Ed ' l w s m z Revie . A eservi S r e base u on r ce t G rma l cat ons. znb d ng e i , d p e n e n pub i i g — e a or Most thoroughly and tastefully edited Sp ct t . ILLU STRATED BIOG RAPHIES OF THE

G REAT ARTISTS.

Each volumis l strat t fro 1 2 to 20 f a E rav n s r nte in the e i lu ed wi h m ull e ng i g , p i d

est a er and o orna e ta c oth cov r s . 6d b m nn , b und in m n e , 3 .

Froma R eview in TH E S P CTATO l E R u 1 8 . , y y 5, 79 It is high time that some thorough and general acquaintance with the works of these t ai t rs s o s r a a roa and it is a so c r o s to t k how o t r a s migh y p n e h uld be p e d b d , l u i u hin l ng hei n me ’ hav occ i sacr ic s in the or s art Wit o t the rese c of c o ar k o e up ed ed n he w ld he , h u p n e mu h p ul n w he co t v k of t r s If he f Io a hies a o t t c i or i iv . t r se t seri s o l ledge b u lle e w he l e p e n e p , ic se s to be ost t oro and tast f it succ ds i res o i to tie a ts wh h em m h ughly e ully ed ed , ee n p nd ng w n - ” Of o est if ar t art kno e its aimWi be acco is . m d , den , wledg , ll mpl hed

Tilefollowing Biographies a re now ready

LEONARDO . From recent researches in his M SS at Windsor and South Kensington s B W M . Dr. . U RI H T ER r t 1 6 E avin s. u eum y J PA L C . i h ng g E F RE A N E F A ee f TH I I T RS O HOLL ND. B Lor RO A D OWER Tr st o GU P y d N L G , u W Nat o a P rtra t r . i n l o i Galle y ith 1 6 Engravings. ! HO ARTH . ro r c t researc s. B A USTI DOBSO A t or of Vi n ettes in G F m e en he y N N, u h g ” W t 1 6 v R . i E r i s hyme h ng a ng .

EN . r W K x B . . M e or . R S ro rec t a t o t es. B i C ETT A. Hert or Co l O U F m en u h i y , . , f d l eg , f d W r ith 1 6 Eng avings. r v st ati s B O MO O t ies of T RNER. o rec t o . C S K HOU SE A t or of S U F m en in e ig n y M N , u h ud ” W En r vms ir E La se r. t 20 a . S . nd e i h g g

E E A ER . r c t a t or W CO t r of Lec H LITTL ST S ro t s. S TT T B . B. A o M F m e en u h i ie y , u h ” r s W t 1 6 E rav s tu es on Fine Art . i h ng ing An Edition de lux e co ta i 1 xtra at s fro rar rav s the Brit sh , n in ng 4 e pl e m e eng ing in i

B a f ro 1 6d. Mus is a so b is . o i o cco Rox r st l r c 0s. eum, l pu l hed und n h l m , bu ghe y e , p i e

. W M f r th t x f Dr A O . B O PH D A f L HOLBEI N . o e e t o LT A SE CU A t or o F m NN y J N LL , u h i e

r . W t 0 E rav and Genius of Remb andt i h 2 ng ings. t s at ons a V W R or Of T RETT . r c v t t O CO TI N O ro e ce B . S E OS ER A t O . F m en in e ig i eni y L , u h W 1 2 n v ssa s t E ra ms. occasional E y on Art. i h g g ’

HAEL ro the t xt of . D S S V B N D A V r f E en RA A A A T . . ERS A t o o P F m e J P N y N , u h lem f r W n vm r s r o A t. 20 E ra s ta y Hi to y ith g g . B Y D L e N DYCK and HALS ro r t a t or t s. C R A o . ER HE l C l VA c . c o F m e en u h i ie y P , in n leg , xf r W t 1 6 E rav i s O o d . i h ng ng A th ost t r t C M f r B RI H D F D H . A. rt o ITI N ro e r c t a o s. A O AT H T . n R R HE F m m e e u h i ie y , , e d

W t 1 E ravms. Co Oxfor . 6 n llege , d i h g g

V E B W . Bra M A R . O B. A se nose R r th t of OS . TT . RE B ANDT. o e xt C E M F m e J M LL , , ’ W Co Oxfor Oﬁicier l Instruction P ra c t 1 6 E rav s. llege, d, de ublique !F n e! i h ng ing

' ' T/ze Volumes prepa ﬁ ngf or ea r ly publzca tzon a re B H A f ICH ELAN ELO . ro r c t a t ori ti s. C AR ES C EME T t or o Mic l M G F m e en u h e y L L N , u h he ” A Leonard et Ra ae . nge, , ph l

E and VER r H C . B . R Tz R S A or of DELAROCH NET . o C AR ES B A U U EE t F m L L N y J , u h s n various Essay o Art.

r b F D ICK . PH f R i &c L S ER. o ST S A t r s cs AND E A M RE ER E E o o l . em i , y G N , u h Flemi h e , s With 1 6 Illustration . i B I IOTTO c t i v st at o s at Pa a. A U I T A . Trin t CO ro re H RRY ER M . G . F m en n e ig n du y Q L , , i y W strat s o o rs Ca ri . t I io i c . lege , mb dge i h llu n n l u r t r t s M Ex ter ol B . . U I G A. C OL S . ro the ost c a t o . S Y N D i . RE F m m e en u h ie y F P LL N , , e

Oxfor . lege , d - r M A. ertf rd r r t a t t s B . . OC A I SBORO H . o c o M BR K R O D . H o GA N UG F m e en u h i ie y G N L , ,

C o e Oxfor . lleg , d v ra ot r Vo s are re arat on Se e l he lume in p p i .

E RUB N S.

’ z ller Fromtlze painting by kimself in Me Uﬁ z Ga y . ' I 7ze witole world wztlzout Art would be one greatwilderness.

R U B E N S

B L E v nT T M A . Y C H A R S , .

’ HERTF R E KI LLE C L L ND N . O D COLLEG , OXFORD ; NG S C O GE S HOO , O O

NEW Y ORK

D SC RIBNER AND WELFOR .

L O N D O N

AMP N L MAR T N E R E RIVIN T S SO OW, S O , S A L , G ON .

88 1 1 .

PR F E E AC .

ORACE WALPOLE once said that it was neces sary to read twenty books in order to write a life ’ of u n n e mu R be s . Si c Walpole s days books have ltiplied and s r umnt n d e ran d hi to ical doc e s have bee iscover d, ar ge

n in c a of u . In to d cale dared, every apit l E rope order w t m if of u n now w u n c ri e a co plete l e R be s , it o ld be e essary to search through an immen se mass of documents at the

a u u a mn a nn and n ua H g e, Br ssels , P ris, Si a c s , Vie a, Ma t ,

n e besides carefully examin i g our own records . Neith r

ime nor w u a w of is if I 0 t space o ld llo th , had had the p ortun it in s r m has p y other way . All I have he e atte pted

n to a résumé f fa s a bee give o the cts discovered by other , very large number of which have n ot on ly n ever appeared in n but not n n u o un E glish, have eve bee bro ght t gether til n w o . Rubens has suffered fromhis twofold character and his u mnt Butfew ns are n e ed polyglot acq ire e s . perso i t rest ik i a I al e in his artistic and his diplomat c c reer . have wished to give a due weight to each view of his character far m ac m o w u w as as the li ited sp e at y disp sal o ld allo . immn num of w n n mu The e se ber his orks , coveri g e or o s ac of an s mu of n w of t sp es c va , the ltiplicity his k o ledge li e vi PREFACE.

u an d n u an d m n w rat re a tiq ities, the co plicated i terests ith w was n w n m e hich his political career i ter ove , ake it xceed

n iffi u to r n m n u i gly d c lt b i g a clear, co prehe sive, acc rate and in terestin g accoun t of this great life within a small c I n u do u m of spa e . have e deavo red to this to the t ost m l y abi ity.

u u n in New e w The dates thro gho t are give the Styl , hich

was n in use on n nen h u not in n n the the Co ti t, t o gh E gla d .

K W . . London ctober 9 , O , 18 7 . N E T CO T N S.

R CHAPTE I.

— Parentage and Birth 15 77 to 158 7

APT R II CH E .

Education and Masters— 15 8 8 to 1600

APT R III CH E . In Italy and Spain— 1600to 1603

R I V CHAPTE . Re turn to I taly— 1604 to 1608

APT R CH E V. Settled at Antwerp— 1608 to 1620

APT R VI CH E . Visit to Paris and return to Antwerp— 1620to 1625

APT R VII CH E . — Rubens as a Diplomatist 1626 to 1629

R V CHAPTE III. Visit to England— 1629 and 1630

APT R IX CH E . — Last years 1634 to 1640 L T F LL TR IS O I U S ATIONS .

Peter Paul Rubens romthe aintin b himse in he , f p g y lf t Frontis iece p .

The Return fromEgypt

The Triumph of Silenus

Archbishop Ambrose and the Emperor Theodosius

Rubens and his ﬁrst ife Isabella Brand W , t

The Descent fromthe Cross (double pla te)

’ RubenS s two Sons

The Vision of St. Ildefonso

Henri IV and hi ife Mari d M di . s W e e e cis The Visitation

The Lion Hunt

The Re pose in Egypt

Rubens and his second ife Helena Fourment W ,

The Chateau de Steen

Le Chapeau de Poil The Spanish Hat

The Rainbow RU BE NS .

APTE CH R I .

ARENTA E AND BIRT P G H .

15 77 TO 1587 .

HE once-famous city of ANTWERP arose with the in crease of kn owledge and civiliz ation of the sixteenth

n u andfor mn un e u of m ce t ry, a y years , d r the r le the E peror

ar V . as m u an w m Ch les , w the ost prospero s d ealthy etro

in u polis E rope. The geographical discoveries of that time had deprived the Mediterran ean of her supremacy ! the greatcommercial cities of Italy -Ven ice and Gen oa — had lost their mon opoly ’ of t n u w an d n w — A rade i terco rse ith the East, A t erp n t ! — wo on w f on an of the Scheldtf in n, the har , the b ks arose n u N0 e s all its gra de r . city exc pt Pari , says Mr . Motley, u in u n nor in omm s rpassed it pop latio , approached it c ercial

mn as n u n w f . Sple do r. Its gover e t very ree The sovereign as Marquis of Antwerp was solemnly sworn to govern ao ” cording to ancient charter an d laws . The city itself was the m u u u n a n n ost bea tiful in E rope . Placed po plai alo g n of s n bo w the ba k the Scheldt, haped like a be t w ith the

for n n w n its w mof river its stri g, it e closed ithi alls so e the - most splen did ediﬁces of Christen dom. The world renown ed B 2 RUBENS .

u of N am x n w e ﬁ ve ch rch otre D e, the stately E cha ge her — thousan d merchants daily congregated prototype of all similar establishme nts throughout the world— the capacious mole an d port were all establishmen ts which it would fﬁ have been di cult to rival in any other part of the globe . Butall that the n ew commerce of the world— which n ow

x n un f a. to n and n ew n in e te ded ro d A ric I dia, to the I dies

e t— u e was f n m the W s had th s creat d, destroyed by a aticis and the ﬁerce con test of the old religion again st the advance

f m e n u an d f n x o ee m. I 15 64 u n od r tho ght r do , at the e ec tio of en a mn e u ut u of e u n a r eg de o k, a r ligio s o b rst p rsec tio s l n w n u e Omme an t ersecu bega hich i cl d d the g g rio s , the p

n of u of u l n of e and tio s the D ke Alva, the b i di g the citad l ,

ﬁna of n w lly the siege A t erp .

Amon gst the many thousan ds who on the approach of Alva foun d their position in the city n o lon ger ten able was

Jan u n one of sche enen mn who Meester R be s, the p or alder e , on the last day of August in 1568 appeared before the

u m sche enen an d un w e n ru b rgo aster, p co cil, ith c rtai t sty fr en — f m u ma e and a n i ds or er b rgo st rs others, to obt i a cer tiﬁcate of rr n u in his fﬁ i eproachable co d ct o ce . This Jan Ruben s was the son of a respectable trades man mw u n an h d n f m , Bartholo e R be s , apot ecary, esce ded ro

f m who n nn for mn n n a a a ily had bee ta ers a y ge eratio s p st . ’ an f n him J s ather had give a good education . At the age of w n -f u n n u law m t e ty o r he had bee se t to st dy at Ro e, where after some seven years he took his degree as Doctor of m m u n w . n n wn a d La s Fro Ro e he ret r ed to his ative to ,

A religious procession in which a colossal ﬁgure of the Virgin was ’ ne round the cit — MOTLEY Dutch Re ubl c v l i bor . S i o 5 4 y p , . . p. . P REN G E AN D BIR H 3 A TA T .

Ma 15 2 h a in 6 e was m e s en . me e u y, , d chep A shortti pr vio sly

had m au te of n P elincx he arried Maria, d gh r He ry yp (or

P elin of n we w mhe n yp g) , A t rp, by ho had several childre .

I n th e m ea n c mof n e a e the sa e y r Pri e Willia Ora g , c ll d

S l n m e z nn of a n au of i e t, arried at L ip ig, A e S xo y, d ghter u the Archduke Ma rice . J an Ruben s had been den oun ced as a Calvinist by a secret agen t of Spain ! an d when Alva left Madrid to take c mman in the e lan s u m u n o d N ther d , he tho ght it ore pr de t to

e n w e u e u mmun n r tire to Colog e , h re he co ld ke p p co icatio w h n e of O an who had a n e u it the Pri c r ge, lready e d avo red

i n s n met t to enlist h mo his ide . At Colog e he wi h Coun c illor J an s an old u n n em Bet , acq ai ta ce, already ployed by

n n of ax n n e e for re u n of her w A e S o y to gotiat the t r do ry, ﬁ which had been con scated by Philip II . with the rest of ’ an e Jan u en was n mn her husb d s prop rty . R b s o i ated Coun cillor n e l am an d w s e s en by Pri c Wil i , , hil t B t att ded the

e of n an d an d of u n El ctor Saxo y the L grave Hesse, R be s

e amthe v e of n e w n w man d b c e ad is r the Pri cess, b t ee ho her husban d— un like as they were in all respects— but little t l sympathy existed . For wo years Wi liamwas away in the c ountry which he was to con solidate in to the Dutch Re public ; an d it was durin g his absence that she fell in to a

a fu in t u w t Jan u en wh in disgr ce l rig e i h R b s , ich, spite of

un en a l en e she efu ac n w d . d i b e evid c , r sed to k o le ge For two years was this disgraceful intrigue carried on n u n on un suspected by the i j red co sorts either side . At l n w n n f ma n e e gth, o i g to i or tio th y had received, the Elector of n an d an of n for Jan u n Saxo y the L dgrave Hesse se t R be s .

n n of r of his n u n ft Ig ora t thei discovery deli q e cy, he le his w f i n an u n e n u e e i e n Colog e djo r yed i to Nassa . H r he was met an d immediately thrown in to prison in the fortress 4 RUBENS . of n u an d so was nﬁn for Dille b rg ; closely he co ed, that m timc w f u not s w was so e his i e co ld di cover here he . w ft n n She rote letter a er letter, appeali g at le gth to the m f and n for ﬁ msh Elector hi sel , the the rst ti e e discovered ’ ff n u mn l ns the o ence a d the p nish e t. By German aw Rube s

f was f f but n u of n u was li e or eited, the ho o r a oble ho se a more powerful advocate for himthan his own deserts ’ or w f n . was in v n w t his i e s pleadi gs It ai , ho ever, tha his wife begged to see him and it was n ot till 1575 t n e f mand a she hat brighter prospects ope d be ore the , th t obtain ed leave fromCount John of Nassau to visit her

u n n m w n an d h sba d. She the re oved ith her serva t her

to n u . n u met goods Dille b rg Here the lo g separated co ple , bu t the husban d was in a sad plight ; the harshness of his ’ m n nfe f i prisonme t had e ebled his health . Still the wi e s

e n un n ot and she n p titio s to the Co t did cease, at last obtai ed her desire that her husban d might be allowed to dwell outside the hateful prison . On condition that he should

nf m n w and on in wn and hi co ess his cri e a e , giv g his o s ’ wife s bond for thalers that he would return to prison if u n so an d h ul not e n called po to do , t at he wo d go b yo d m of t l was w a u the li its the li tle vi lage, he allo ed to t ke p r n n in e w w u his eside ce at Siege W stphalia, here he o ld be ’ n u n of the n u der the s rveilla ce Cou t s ofﬁcers . The least infringement of the bon d was to be punished by death an d

n ﬁ n of f mu r u n co scatio goods . A ter ch t o ble o the part

of u n u n mn was u Maria R be s the ca tio o ey paid , a ho se w t e n was and l n on ith a vege abl garde hired, at e gth , the l0th of t un 15 75 w n n May, Whi S day, , he Christia s cele ” n of u mf u n brate the desce t the Tr e Co orter, as R be s was phrased it, he released . Once only was J an Ruben s allowed to stir from P RE E AND A NTAG BIRTH. 5

n in ntwer this retired village . The political cha ges A p afforded an opportunity for the recovery of some of the n ﬁ but in l m f of co scated property, order to avai hi sel this

n was n u in n or cha ce, it ecessary that he sho ld appear perso

n f by attor ey . The seal o such a small community as that of

n w u not n z n n mu s Siege o ld be recog i ed eve at Colog e, ch les n w n f o an d at A t erp . He obtai ed leave, there ore, to g stay for few in house of u n mn n a days the a co si , Ray o d , at Colog e, in order to obtain a power of attorn ey for a relation to act

on f i d n e was to u n f his behal . Th s o he ret r to his amily at e n Si ge .

n ft u n of Jan u n to n in the Soo a er this jo r ey R be s Colog e, 1577 an d on 29th of J une— l year , probably the the Festiva 1— of . an d u was n n St Peter St. Pa l , bor the great pai ter u ub n u n m f n w e Peter Pa l R e s, th s a ed a ter the sai ts hos supposed martyrdomtogether at Rome was commemorated on that day.

Of fac our n was n i n and n ot the t that pai ter bor at S ege ,

An w or n is n ow but u . at t erp Colog e, there little do bt

. Backhuiz en van n in two m Het M der Bri k, his pa phlets , ” Haweli k van mvan n mit n n van n j Wille Ora je A a Saxe , and Les Ruben s a Siegen — fromwhich the greater — part of the foregoing particulars has been taken has proved that Jan Ruben s was only once away fromSiegen until his ﬁnal release ; that Maria Ruben s was at Siegen on 20th of un 15 77 u no r s the J e, ; that tho gh there are ecord

en of n is an n at Sieg so early a date, either there y ascertai ed ' And u h evidence of Peter Paul s birth elsewhere . altho g ’ u n n n w in f of his un e Philip R be s , the pai ter s ephe , his li e cl

— w t en in n— was n n the ri t Lati says that he bor at Colog e,

1 in Ma e mntion d Thou h the 27th 28 th and even a date ar e e . g , , y R BENS U .

whole of the Siegen episode was kept so completely a secret fromall but those who were n ecessarily acquainted with

as to un n wn en u en it, probably be k o ev to Philip R b s the f of elder, the ather the biographer.

Let us n ow for a moment cast a glance at the con dition

of u m n f n ft ma E rope at the ti e this i a t, herea er to ke his

n u n f in un l of an din mof i ﬂ e ce elt co ci s States, the real s art, ﬁrst saw the light for certainly he was one on whomthe

n w f m an d who in u n f exter al orld le t a vivid i press, his t r le t

m n un him I n th n his ark o the world aro d . e Spa ish Nether ’ n f t and own fu u m u la ds , his a her s his t re ho e, the cold , cr el ,

n un u e fu an d the bloody Alva had bee s cc ss l , had paid — pen alty of his failure havin g been recalled and imprison ed

u l an d u I I u by the eq al y cold cr el Philip . His s ccessor, De

Re uescens f e m e nmn of e was q , a t r a ild r gover e t three y ars, - d . n in u fu an d of ead The the bea ti l, rich , sorely tried city

n w m of mm and of l n m A t erp , the ho e co erce Ca vi is , broke forth that fearful butchery an d pillage— the Spanish

u The n n m o in ar F ry . troops that had lo g bee e pl yed c ry ’ in g out Philip s determin ation to crush the freedomof the

n n n a m n e to our own and com co ti e tal r ce ost early alli d , to pel themto bow down to the ﬁercest formof Papal do mn n had n ot the w of u i atio , received re ard their labo rs,

r t n an d m . was n for thei priva io s , their cri es It ever easy

n u mn in the e e n un e he the Spa iard to proc re o ey N th rla ds , l ss

had e n ell the e took it by force . These troops l ar t too w l sson

m u m e ul m their aster had ta ght the . Th y wo d ake the rich

mn w il w d f the n ew n Fle i gs pay hat Ph ip o e . Be ore gover or of n Don n of u a r e the Netherla ds , Joh A stri , ar iv d, the sol

e out in mu n u e f h f m a diers brok ti y, po r d ort ro the cit del of — ’ An twerp the mon umen t of Al va s determin ation to domi U

8 RUBENS .

n d an n In France Charles IX. a his Itali mother Catheri e ’ ’ . mw s and s ll dc Medici had had their St Bartholo e Day, ti u u n w b e s was the H g e ots ere o liged to be tolerat d . Charle — u and a his n . e dead brother, He ry III , had s cce ded, pe ce n f reigned where bloodshed had bee ri e .

n he u sat the u n of I t Esc rial cr el Spider, the Ki g

n s an d n the u u of a Af and Spai I dies, s bj gator Asi , rica, m a m e t n the mre t rann al A eric , or papistical ha Pope, o y ic t an ber u w n w bs w ac h Ti i s, atchi g his e , hich re hed to the en s f a an dw ht v ra n was f at d o the e rth, hose slig est ib tio elt

n n r n in f m f nor their secluded ce tre ; eithe e joy g li e hi sel , willing that others should live an d love and worship but

as e and as he t u t . he chos , ho gh right n th m ac r mof art n of ff n I e ore pl id eal , eve ts di ere t c ara r w e n n u te a a f the h cte er happe i g . Not q i ye r be ore of u u n u of i n birth Peter Pa l R be s occ rred the death Tit a , ’ who arr mn mm ac for a en u n c ied e s e ories b k c t ry . Bor

f l u himfor n be ore Raphae , he had s rvived as lo g a period w u m f of an man Now too as . o ld ake the li e elderly he, ,

the u he had u e u to whi was dropped br sh s d p the last, ch to n u u n a n a old be take p by G ido Re i, child less tha year , d u ens who was not n un ten mn e an by R b , bor til o ths lat r . Michelan gelo Buon arroti had died about twelve years

f an d of m of en andof n e be ore , the schools Ro e, Flor ce , Ve ic had at this time n o very great n ames to brin g theminto

emn n . In s u n di i n of oliticalw i e ce the di t rbed co t o the p orld ,

n ot mu un an d was w n m Art had ch opport ity, it a aiti g cal er days before putting forth its n ext great efforts .

n u was but old u n f m Whe Peter Pa l a year , the R be s a ily n in returned to Colog e . Here they are said to have lived m u 10 n n w a s all ho se, No . , Ster e Gasse (Star here

mw as rn n n f m w ! O o e o one ore child, Bartholo e , bo the PARENTAG E AND BI RTH.

s f is u a of m doorpo ts o th ho se, a t blet black arble still de clares in gilt letters that the famous painter was born

’ w an e on n n w th there ; hilst oth r, the correspo di g post, i

un r di mthe f r greater gro d fo cre bility, proclai s act that Ma ia , - f m u of n o I . an d n u te o da ghter Fra cesc , gra d da gh r Cos o the

ﬁ u of u n w f of n . of Great, the rst D ke T sca y, i e He ry IV n an d m of u s X n of n e of Fra ce, other Lo i III . , Ki g Fra c ,

n t a ue n of n n and z u n He riet a M ria, Q e E gla d, Eli abeth , Q ee of n in and in m ra . Spai , died there exile, co pa tive poverty

who was n un w rm l n whi She bor der those a Ita ia skies, ch had cherished her family until it became great ; who had mar the r atest of n n and who had in the ried g e Fre ch ki gs ; , of n u ummn u n n wa s days her gra de r, s o ed R be s to ador the ll of u m u ac w she e t the L xe bo rg Pal e, hich had erect d, at las f un an umin th e u w an if o d asyl very ho se here, as exile ( one ma himso f m m n n the y call ) ro a ho e he had ever see , artist had spent the ﬁrst few years of a life which was to en d in u n r ff ct n s ccess a d splendour. I have a g eat a e io for n w was u u un was ten e s Colog e, here I bro ght p til I y ar ” of wri w n a rbachin end of f . age, he tes, he pp gthe his li e

w n u n of of ten on To ards the co cl sio that period years, the 1 8 th of c 1587 Jan u en . was u Mar h, , R b s died He b ried w m m in u of . e l ad n n ith so e po p the ch rch St Pet r, close y joi i g the house he had lately inhabited an d his widow erected

mm w i to n un few a tablet to his e ory, h ch served co ceal , til a

f of n u n an d un years ago , the act his deli q e cies , their p ish 1 mn an d n f m n of . e t, the reside ce his a ily at Siege

’ The widow s record declares that he went into voluntar exile and y , retiredwith allhis famil to Colo ne andthere abode or nineteen ears y g , f y , and that Maria P elin a the wife the mother of his sev n childr n yp g , e e , with whomhe lived for twent -six ears ha il without an uarrel y y pp y, y q , ” erected the monument to her sweetest and well deservin hu b n g s a d. 10 RUB EN S .

of n w l d a a Three the childre ere a rea y de d . Clar , the

n u en ﬁ n seco d da ghter, had be the rst to leave a vaca t place in f m in 1580 and n in 1583 two m the a ily circle, the , , ore

n of n an d mw of two He ry, a boy sixtee , Bartholo e , a child . Seein g that there was an interval of seven years between Philip an d his n ext elder brother— an in terval afte rwards in creased by the death of that brother— an dimagin ing how the i n n ow of an be u u w u elder ch ldre , age to ca tio s, o ld be warn ed by the careful mother n ot to allude to the episode of n we can we u n n how in e f Siege , ll dersta d Philip, p r ect fa m m f u at good ith, ight describe hi sel to the a thorities

n w r n n A t e p as bor at Colog e . CHAPTER II .

’ ETER A L S ED ATION AND MASTERS P P U UC .

1588 To 1600.

N 1588 f w n e of Jan u n , the year ollo i g the d ath R be s,

his w w u n n n f r ido ret r ed to her ative city . Her reaso o this step was to recover the property which had been con

ﬁscated in n of u n an d f ﬁ t the abse ce her h sba d hersel , rs on e r an d n u by pa ty the by the other. As a s spected ’ a n t Jan Rubens s w z n sh C lvi is , goods ere sei ed by the Spa i

an m n of un r in party ; as e igra t, a deserter his co t y her

n ed n n o n w n f m sorest e , he gai ed adva tage he the Re or ed

r t n w n w to w u ns pa ty ob ai ed po er. The A t erp hich Maria R be returned was very differen t fromthe great an d rich com t f ff of m mercial ci y she had le t. The e ects the Omegan g

s u n e she n w but in n t n di t rba c s k e , s ce the here had bee the

n w co Spanish Fury . This had drive a ay both m m n m an m r man d erce a d erch ts to A ste da other places .

n w f w d n n u n u . a A other cr shi g blo ollo e Alexa der F r ese, D ke of Parma— son of that Margaret who in the earlier days of

n n an d who h f n Philip had bee his Rege t, had elped to aste the epithet of ! Beggars (les Gueux) upon the popular

— had u Du n who Re party s cceeded the ke Joh , , like De

uescens u um und the fﬁ u of . q , had s cc bed er di c lties his post 12 RUBENS .

i ’ Bit by bit Brabant had been won back to the K ngs party.

n w r n ut n w was a small u c A t e p alo e stood o . A t erp rep bli -in time of peace intelligently and successfully adminis t w in s n of f n war am ered, hich the easo a great oreig , id u umu f min an d in n n u plag es , t lts , a e, ter al rebellio , req ired

ﬁrm n r n f n f the ha d and the clear b ai o a si gle chie . That ” n brain andhand had been possessed by Orange alo e . This

n had n n in u 1584 . Pri ce bee assassi ated J ly, In the same year the siege of Antwerp by the Duke of Parma was begun ; it was carried on through the winter ;

was r d e and d an d u h the Scheldt b i g d over blocka ed, tho g the citiz ens sen t forth

’ The ﬁer eel at A ntwer s brid e y k p g , an d tried hard to

he ince f arma fromur land Chase t Pr o P o , s w un u fu an d on 17 of u u till they ere s ccess l, the th A g st, 2 5 he 158 t u . , city capit lated -one ft w in m 1616 we e Thirty years a er ards , Septe ber, , hav a description of the place fromthe pen of Sir Dudley Carle ’ n m m to . u . u af e , Ja es I s a bassador at the Hag e Sir D dley, t r wa f n of u n and n for mn of his rds a rie d R be s, a egotiator a y tu m u umn u in n h pic res, ade a short a t to r the Spa ish Net er n s an d in f n u w of ntw la d , a letter to a rie d th s rites A erp, havin g stayed there an aftern oons an dmorning to see the ” towns mu ou of t I st tell y , he says , the state his town s in w ou t ma ma civitas , a ord so as y ake it literally, g

w ’ ” rlo e Dr Faus us ac i. se 1 Ma s . t t . Chr. , , . I d wnfallwas instantaneous The merchants and industrious ts o . artisans allwandered away froma place which had been the seat of a w l -wide traﬂic civiliz ation and commerce de arted and in their or d , p , ”— ’ f e MOTLE1 Netherlands i. . 262. stead was the citadel o th esuits. S J , p D EDUCATI ON AN MAST ERS . 13

magna solitude ; (the great city is a great desert) for e in y whole time we Spen t there I could never sett my eyes in the whole length of a streets uppon 40 persons at o nce I n ever mett coach n or saw man on horseback none of owr companie (though both were workie dayes) saw one pennieworth of wars ether in shops or in

streetes u or Two w n dl an d one bo ght solde . alki g pe ers

a - wil mu on the r n b llad seller l carrie as ch y backs at o ce,

was in n or w as that royall excha ge ether above belo . ‘lI The English house is ﬁlled w schoole-boyes un der the 1 u t n d Est rlin s n emti I Jes i s discipli e an the e g sta ds p e . n h mn rowes in streetes et wC a y places grasse g the , y (that is rare in such solitarin es) the buildings are all kept in b f n The r n n mu w w° per ect reparatio . y co ditio is ch orse ( may seemstrange) sin ce the truss then it was before ; and the whole countrey of Braban t was suitable to this towns ; ” 2 s e f an d m u l ndida. amerias s . was the p p p , air iserable S ch s in w n w n ft the the stat hich A t erp had bee le by Siege , by

u n of an d u an d destr ctio all civil religio s liberty, by the blockade of the river ; so long was it before it Showed any s n of v n f mthe w e But ig s reco eri g ro blo it had receiv d .

u in f of u n f as ma be d r g the li e R be s , it did recover itsel , y n n n un of n 5th see by the i teresti g acco t John Evely , dated

1641 w n the n was ! October, , he pai ter lately deceased .

One of the mof u n of n w was ter s the capit latio A t erp , that the possessions of Royalist absen tees Should be restored to t m H re was for u n m h . e f S e who he hope the R be s a ily. , as the u - W f im un f tr e hearted i e, had by her port ity reed her

’ The Oesters house belon in to the East India Coman is a mos , g g p y, t ” ’ beau iful alace adorne with more than 3 00 wind w — Ev l t d o s. e n s p , J . y ” r O t. 64 1 Dia 5 th c 1 . y, , 3 ’ Sainsbur s Pa ers relatin to Rubens . 11 y p g , p . 14 R UBENS .

u n f m x n nu t in a n h sba d ro captivity, e ercised her i ge i y reg i in g their inheritance for her children an d we kn ow that

r u n was u fu f time in n Ma ia R be s s ccess l , a ter a , recoveri g a ’ n n of her u n mn co siderable portio h sba d s patri o y .

son t u in the m n m as e n Her , Pe er Pa l , ea ti e w rec ivi g his

u n the n of u ts h e th nl ed catio at ha ds the Jes i , w o wer e o y

w u t e teachers Philip II . o ld ol rate after the recapture of

! in f some of u n r the city act, the Jes its we t so fa as to per suade himthat the only way to recover the fallen prosperity of the was an n e in the num of e city, by i cr ase ber th ir order, h f i ’ an d that of t e bare ooted fr ars . At the Jesuits Col legs he wen t through a c ourse of the human ities — as

u and in c n is e it sed to be, S otla d still , rightly call d an d had m m to a u probably he at the sa e ti e cq ire, w u n n n u m . h hat Sho ld have bee his ative to g e, Fle ish T e

w an u for n u . m boy sho ed aptit de la g ages Desca ps says , 1 on u t of Felibisn n e the a thori y , that he Spoke seve ; w

n in f w m n lear that a ter years he rote Fle ish , Italia ,

L n w u f an d n w n ati , ith eq al acility, early as ell , Fre ch . He

n ot mto n f m a w n all does see have bee a ili r ith E glish, at

en f mto un r for a ev ts be ore he ca e this co t y, Lord C rlisle, ’ w n in 1628 w n u t Rubens s w riti g May, , he he q o es ords , min n u the of l tt gives the Fre ch, tho gh rest his e w is in

m hmn of an u English . This acco plis e t l g ages was common

un time un m in . n who was his co try at this The Co t Eg o t,

e u in 15 68 an d who was u n ex c ted , looked po as rather an

n n man . mof n m n ig ora t , spoke three Willia Ora ge ade o

n n n but was to m ﬁ ve w prete ce at lear i g, able aster , hilst Cardinal Grenvella at the age of twenty spoke an d wrote

n u f an d n seve , with eq al acility elega ce .

Feli ien tomii b . . 1 6 , p. 9 .

16 RUBENS .

m n m in m e his u n n ea ti e , order to co pl te ed catio as a ge tle man and in n w the u mof the time was , accorda ce ith c sto , he

a e in the u of a of n the placed as a p g ho sehold a l dy ra k, w w of un n t an d w m ido a Co t Lalai g, a Royalis Catholic, ho even Williamthe Silen t respected as Sprun g froman n u house and n u an d u of ho o rable , possessi g the virt e co rage his ancestors ; a frien d of his country an d a fervent hater ” m Of f i n n . n ore g Oppressio The old Fle ish obility, espe ciall wh n the a n y those o belo ged to Royalist p rty, had o doubt acquired a con siderable Share of the dignity of the

S n u n u an d we ma t pa iards d ri g their r le, here y believe tha Rubens ﬁrst learn t some of that statelin ess of mann er which in duced Sir D udley Carleton to call him the ” n an of n mn The life o Princ e Of Pai ters d Ge tle e . f a n ot u u n u m home w page did s it R be s , acc sto ed to a here learning an d taste were combined with wide sympathies an d travelled leisure ; he n eeded a more active life than

n n w h n t m m atten di g o a stately lady, it i er ediate ti es of proﬁtless leisure . ’ mu n ft t for we ﬁn d He st soo have le his lady s service, that at the age of thirteen the boy in duced his mother to himw n e f mw m m n place ith a pai t r , ro ho he ight lear his

he ﬁ s n t u n for un u n was art. T r t i s r ctor chose the yo g st de t

erhae ht he w his own n m or Tobias V g , as rote a e , as he is

mim V erhaecht or V an Has ht. was so et es called , der g He

f n w n in the 1566 and a n ative o A t erp , bor year , received as - c-mth s in u of u master pain ter (fran a ) to the g ild St . L ke in It mu n fte and f e 1590. st have bee shortly a r this be or

am an of the u in 15 94-95 h he bec e de g ild , t at he took

n u u him mn of w n an d Rube s as a p pil , ta ght the ele e ts dra i g, inculcated into himthat love of n ature an d lan dscape

n is cu us note t u n which he ever lost. It rio to tha R be s , EDUCATION AND MASTERS . 17

who n w n of un f u n in bega ith sce es co try li e, ret r ed his last

‘ ﬁ so h w n he u n n days to his rst love, t at he co ld o lo ger u s can vases wi ﬁ u w u r cover his h g th heroic g res, he o ld reti e ’ to his chiiteau n and n n n u at Stee pai t la dscapes, eve tho gh the u m n himf m n u go t al ost i capacitated ro holdi g his br shes . ’ Verhas ht s u are now but as l g pict res rare, he w high y thought of in his own time ; he was patroniz ed by the

n u of u an an d n in me r Gra d D ke T sc y, eve Ro his ext a ’ n w th f m s w O . ordi ary ork, To er Babel, had its ad irers He was so satisﬁed with this success that he pain ted the

su r or f u m was w w in bject th ee o r ti es . He , ho ever, eak

ﬁ u d w n an d w n u in g re ra i g, hat his la dscapes req ired that way were frequently supplied by Sebastian Franck— eu

r n mn more mmn in f m m an now ar a ge e t co o or er ti es th it is .

Ru n n f un or u f un own be s soo o d, tho ght he o d, that his n in u an d mn to stre gth lay rather historical s bjects , a aged

m f f m n Noort get hi sel removed to the studio o Ada va .

’ mvan 1 as m f wr t n m This Ada Noort ( he hi sel o e his a e,

u ften an n n w in tho gh he is O called V Oort) , bor at A t erp 1558 was the son of m van Noort n of m , La bert , a ative A ers

f who in 1547 w n n w was in its m ort, the year , he A t erp ost

u n n n its m n an d ﬂo rishi g co ditio , ercha ts rich , the arts patro

niz ed u in the on the n , took p his abode city Scheldt. Whe mu n n w m van in evil days ca e po A t erp, La bert Noort died

poverty. son m a e Of f u t n was u hr wn His Ada , at the g o r ee , th s t o m unf una m m upon the world at a ost ort te ti e . He see s to an d in S s of disadvan have worked hard, pit every

a s m for m f on e of the e if n ot the t g to have ade hi sel b st,

” 1 ! De l mschs h l N rt in V ae Sc oo vol. ii See P nard A . van oo . . Ge , , , 105 p. . 18 R E UB NS .

n f n w s bes t positio in the school o A t erp . He wa received - f m n u of S t. u in 1587 and as a ree aster i to the g ild L ke , i 15 u n m f as n n 98 . f served dea R be s hi sel , a ter he had n to an d was fu mu w t bee Italy, lly i b ed ith the I alian m t V an w u u asters, said hat Noort o ld have s rpassed his contemporaries had he visited Rome and e ndeavoured to u t m formhis style pon the bes odels . The gossiping ’ chron iclers of artists defects have for some reason or other

n an to Van No rt e take especial dislike o . They repres nt him n t m m an d u sa h as viole t e pered, orose, br tal ; they y t at he u w u n an d ordasn s alon e of q arrelled ith R be s, that J , all u mn w himand was n his p pils , re ai ed ith , that this owi g ’ t ordaens for his u w m f o J love da ghter, ho he a terwards married .

The u n to n . en has n tr th, tha ks Mo s . P G ard, at le gth

me to u n mne w Van Noort f u co light. R be s re ai d ith o r

n t n t w t an a n years ; lo ger ha he s ayed i h y other rtist. I

u of f t f m1587 1627 e are the co rse or y years , ro to , th re thirty-two pupils registered to this ! brutal man in the

i s of the u of . u mn w m n t L gger G ild St L ke, a o gst ho do o

V an Balcn V rancx or u n wh are appear , , R be s, o kn own f m u to u w him ro other so rces have st died ith .

In the u of S t. m n w w i ch rch Ja es at A t erp, h ch possesses an n n of u w exte sive collectio very val able orks, there is a u mvan Noort pict re by Ada St. Peter taking the Piec e of ’— ’ Money fromthe Fish which Shows the master s free and u n of d w n il an of u n an d dextero s bold ess ra i g, his br li cy colo ri g, n w of an d In u ma n his k o ledge light Shade. this pict re ybe see the work of a man whose rich and pure mind can compre hen d the greatest subject ; whose powerful han d can follow w u difﬁ u mn u su n of his n itho t c lty the i test ggestio i tellect . His ﬁgures are produced on the canvas with extraordinary ED 19 UCATION AND MASTERS . f w f man d of r w n n ot acility, ith a reedo dexterity d a i g to

f un in the m f time w be o d Fle ish school be ore his , hilst his brilliant colour an dstudy Of light an d shade seemto presage n an rd n i the works of Rube s d Jo as s. Fromth s example we can calculate the in ﬂ uence which this master has exercised

rt f un n on Flemish art . V an Noo o d it in a deplorable co

a n The n s n an th m dition Of degrad tio . Re ai sa ce d e Refor a tion between themhad produced deep an d irreparable

ma e n w nn artw da g . The li ks hich had co ected ith the past had n n an d was m to m bee broke , it i possible replace the ; but V an the of his an d Noort grasped characteristics age,

n u far was in w un e deavo red, as as it his po er, to ite the knowledge of the Old school with the requirements of the

ims f mthe Old h w was t . He took ro sc ool hat there to — u m n an d but take colo r, co positio , aerial perspective ;

u t m n uir n treated his s bjec s as oder taste req ed . Fra s Coxie an d m the u of n Floris, , others, isled by st dy Grecia

n u m m u s n a tiq ity, had already i ported ythological s bject i to an i their country . V Noort ra sed the style of pain tin g to the Of an and ave n n to the om character epic, g i spiratio c n u n an d en n positio s Of R be s d Jor a s. U der this master ” the ﬁ f un n of art for f u he laid rst o datio s his o r years, ’ a the n w u n . s ys artist s ephe , Philip R be s

n f m n w m n Whe , ro that restless ess hich re ai ed his cha

ra t ristic life f Van the fu u c e all his , he le t Noort, t re head

Of the m w n u n 1596 w n in his n Fle ish school e t, d ri g , he ine teenth n u of t n va n f n year, i to the st dio O ho n Vee (O te called

t nius i a was n at n O to Vas ) . Th s rtist bor Leyde in 1558 the m an and was the son ( sa e year as V Noort) , of Cornelis van n t of w an d u ma r of Vee , doc or la s , b rgo ste Leyden, whose family was descended fromthe Old Dukes of Bra n mi n f fu ba t. Re a mg aith l to Philip II he was deprived 20 RUBEN S .

Of his t an d to to e ft son proper y, had retire Li ge, a er his

a n the mn of w n f m laesz had le r t ele e ts dra i g ro Isaak C ,

al In n n u u un c led Nicolai . Liege, Otto co ti ed his st dies der

mn Lamsonius r the n s Do i ic p , secreta y to Cardi al Archbi hop,

un in n n t for Rome. Her til , his seve tee th year, he s arted e

u un i Zu mn n ﬁve he st died der Feder go cchero, re ai i g years in w en u n to and n the Italy, h he ret r ed Liege, e tered into

of n n Of i . The service the Pri ce Bishop, Er est Bavar a Slst of u u 1593 f un himin n w and in A g st, , o d A t erp, the followin g year he was admitted a free master of the guild

of . Luk e u the same m m nn St ; abo t ti e he arried A e Loots,

w m num u f His n n n by ho he had a ero s amily. oble co ec n and the of f m tio s , devoted loyalty his ather, see to have

himin for we ﬁnd him n u t stood good stead, appoi ted Co r in ﬁ to n a n an d f w pa ter, rst Alexa der F r ese, a ter ards to the u n th Archd ke Albert an d the Infanta Isabella. O e occa sion of the visit of Albert an d Isabella to Antwerp in

1599 as w the n mn of the , he w charged ith arra ge e t decora

n an d t ium as n in 1594 w n tio s r phal arches, he had bee , he h t e u n n n n . Archd ke Er est e tered . E gravi gs by P van der

Borcht u n n i n , p blished by Pla ti , have preserved his des g s . V an Veen afterwards became Master of the Mint in Brus 2 and in 16 9. sels, died In the year 1599 Peter Paul Ruben s was enrolled in the

- famu s of the u of . u f m o s Ligger g ild St L ke as a ree aster, and the n nn e n of his m Van n w oble co ctio s aster, Vee , ere Of mu in n u n him n ch service i trod ci g to the Rege ts, Albert

an n m and . n an d u Isabella V Vee had bee to Ro e , th s it came about that soon afterwards he was admitted (in

1603 n an of the f mu u of n w viz ) i to other a o s g ilds A t erp, . ,

f an d . u of the m that o St . Peter St Pa l Ro anists (or those who had visited Rome) . Telling his pupil what D E UCATION AND MASTERS . he had himself acquired by his sojourn amidst the priceless

n of the ﬁn w Of in the w Van collectio s est orks art orld,

n n u min the mn Of u n Vee had excited great e th sias i d R be s , for whomalso he prepared the way by an introduction to u an d hi if the Archd ke s w e . But before we travel with Ruben s southwards we must say a word about a picture which must have been painted

b u — we m n the o f a a P slincx a o t this period ea p rtrait o M ri yp , the u - ea w f of the f Jan the m of tr e h rted i e aithless , other

the s the u of f m ft the Of arti t, pholder the a ily a er death

the f u of his r en an d the Of ather, the ed cator child , restorer

n f n m n the fallen greatness of the ame o Rube s . Cal ly a d beautifully does the pale face s till look forth fromthe

n of old She mu a m w f n ca vas as . st h ve s iled ith satis actio

n n f m f un u n son now o the risi g a e o her yo gest s rvivi g , going forth in to the world to have those talen ts acknow ledged which her matern al heart was assured were in his n fu mat on Of f m keepi g. Care lly attired, like a r good a ily,

in mu n n if an d mus in cuffs n n velvet dress, o r i g co , l , de oti g

w we a she a in face the of her ido d st te, c rries her traits a s w w mn of the w ho a l w hre d o a orld, w has battled br ve y ith

the m an d n n n n a u ow sees w . ti es , victory cro i g her e de vo rs a mw a mi on e v Her very ch ir, so e h t si lar to the still preser ed

in the m n w the ft of son Acade y at A t erp as gi her , speaks

of home of mf in t han dsome a co ort ; her book, held her s ill n f ﬁn m n the a e She n ot ﬁn ha d, a ore ger arki g p g has ished n of n mun of a n u and readi g, tells a certai a o t le r ed leis re ; w u un in h me w n an her hole s rro d gs recall a o he ce artist, a

man Of u u an d u t u n mn m c lt re , a co r eo s ge tle a ight derive those early impression s and ﬁrst inspirations which would w n came in n w w n develop, he he co tact ith a larger orld, i to

m r f aste pieces O art . CHAPTE R III .

ITALY AND S AIN P .

1600 To 1603 .

en d of the n n u n f mone T the Sixtee th ce t ry, travelli g ro country to another was n ot a simple matter of asking for a 8 8 an i n the mn n s ar for pa port, d prov di g o ey ece s y t n en n w our own u ravelli g exp ses . We k o that Cecil sed to examine youn g men who wished to visit the Con tinen t as to their knowledge of their own lan d ; an d if the an swers w e not isf c w u n w u -be er sat a tory, he o ld se d back the o ld tourist to travel over Englan d before he made the acquain u u f u i tance of other countries . The s al di ﬁc lties that mght be obstacles in the way of ordinary travellers did n ot im

u n for a w him of a l pede R be s, he c rried ith that best l — — ’ passports a pleasan t face an d Otto van Veen s in tro duction to the Archdukes (as Albert and the In fan ta w m f w u ere called), led the to or ard his la dable desire to improve himself in art by a journey to the cradle of all the arts . mn n t f hi Other Fle i gs had bee to I aly be ore m. Not only had V an Veen himself journeyed to Rome and studied und Zu but Calvaert u e and S usterman n er cchero, , Mab s , (Lamberto di Lombardo) had become thoroughly Italian

2 4 RUBENS .

n mn n n in un mn ge tle a , perceivi g great tale t the yo g Fle i g,

n r u him m who mm i t od ced to his aster, i ediately attached h an we im u . If to his ho sehold this story deserves y credit, have here the occasion on which it must have happened. Another version of the in troduction of Ruben s is that which makes the Archdukes writs direct to the Duke of n u who in n u n himan n mn Ma t a, co seq e ce gave appoi t e t

n i n m e about his perso . Th s certai ly see s l ss credible even

n f m un n smu tha the or er acco t, i a ch as the Records at

n u w mn u in d and Ma t a, hich are very i te their etails , have n w n n n o r n n w bee ell preserved, co tai cor espo de ce ith the u t of u u u n ef 1607 Co r Br ssels abo t R be s b ore the year , an d n e n o u n v u mmun n the th re is all sio to pre io s co icatio s . The ducal party all arrived at Man tua fromVenice on

n u 22n d. u n u n w Wed esday, J ly Whether R be s ret r ed ith themis a matter of much doubt ; there are n o documents to f un n e e wa be o d that poi t ith r y. The D uke of Mantua was at this time about thirty

ld was the son O W i — n S eve n years o . He f ill am sur amed

l r um — I b o the an d l n of u . Go bo, h pbacked E ea or A stria He married ﬁrst on e of the Farnese family ; but this m a was two f w an d the arri ge dissolved years a ter ards, princess became a n un . He afterwards espoused Leonora ’ m e f r de . o u v n Medici Re arkabl his bea ty, extra aga t, ’ u u u n n e f liberal , vol pt o s , he i herited ither his ather s phy sical defects n or his economic an d administrative excel-o lencss was m um u u u mu h . He oreover s pt o s , chivalro s, c

n n and same time Of u give to galla try, at the a highly c lti d mn vate . in u i d He had assisted Tasso his tro bles , pro

u n an d r himoff n u h c red his liberatio , car ied to Ma t a . T e Duke main tained a company of comedian s thatwas ren owned throughout Europe ! he lost en ormous sums Of mo ney at

I N ITALY .

his n t u w nn umra and n play, i rig es ere i e ble, he co trived to give his reign a character for expense an d magniﬁcence

w made more n n n ﬁ his u hich it brillia t tha be e cial to s bjects .

was mw of an d w t few n s n He so e hat a poet, ro e a elega t o

n was f n of the n n of ets ; he o d co versatio literary characters ,

n w m of the n men of and correspo ded ith ost lear ed the day,

u him n m in strumen collected abo t pai ters , pomets, co posers, tal f m n n and s . per or ers , i ve tors , alche ists , a trologers He had numerous childr en ! his eldest son married a princess of the house of Saxony ; his secon d became a cardinal; and

on f u ma n the u of Lorraine e o his da ghters rried i to ho se .

u w r and w n n n d He r led ith dexte ity ; , o i g to his allia ces a family con nection s with the rulin g powers in the greater un Of u n un n n f m m co tries E rope, he Obtai ed co te a ce ro the in m n u his in tercourse with his s aller eighbo rs . The principal personage in Man tua next to the Duke was his nﬁ n and nn a Chie io co de tial adviser secretary A ib le pp , ho f w m n of State i w a ter ards beca e his Mi ister . He or gi n u d il law m an able m ally st die civ , beca e diplo atist, was an n ef w u to n i d atigable orker, thoro ghly loyal his pri ce ,

n un n n to him u e a d had ab da t tale t serve as he req ir d. His w t m n despatches Sho his abili y. He acco pa ied the Duke on mn of u n n and l w n w t him a y his jo r eyi gs , especial y e t i h to the wars in Hungary . No calumny n or envy was ever ’ m himf mthe u f u able to re ove ro D ke s avo r . This man became the protector Of Ruben s ; with himthe painter kept u n n w n r was w f m n u p a correspo de ce he eve he a ay ro Ma t a, an d him for an d f mhim n to he looked ro he Obtai ed, assis in the n un tance all desig s that he dertook .

u n ot a n u for an n of m The D ke did st y at Ma t a y le gth ti e, but w his u n au of n I ith D chess Leo ora, d ghter Fra cesco . , u Of us n i the Gran d D ke T ca y, v sited State of Monteferrato 26 RUBENS .

in m an d t n w n on to o en in Septe ber, he e t Fl r ce, order that ’ the u m her D chess ight visit sister Maria de Medici, a per sonage who will appear again more than once in conn ection w u n an d who was to m on the 5th ith R be s, be arried Octo

1600 n the n Of France. ber, , to He ry IV ., great He ry The Duchess afterwards accompanied her n ewly -married sister to meet u n w the u Marseilles to her h sba d, hilst D ke visited

n and u an w w f n him Casale, Mila , T sc y, here his i e joi ed ; and u n n u few f , together, they ret r ed to Ma t a, a days be ore

r m 1600. Ch ist as, Where was Rubens all this time There is n o mention of himin the min ute despatches that the D uke received

f m u mn . but n n but ro vario s i isters This is egative evide ce, it allows us to suppose that he had n otyet ﬁnished his ﬁrst

u of the f the n n n f m st dy works o great Ve etia pai ters, ro

wh m n s was u notbut n o , origi al arti t as he , he co ld have lear t

mu . m but we n o d n ch It see s probable, have evi e ce to nﬁ m u n w n n u in the win of co r it , that R be s e t to Ma t a ter

160 -1601 The ﬁ ut n we of 0 . rst a he tic record that have him on e in ul 1601 and f to u is J y, , that re ers his depart re m for Ro e . At the en d of July in this year the Duke of Man tua was summon ed by the Emperor Rudolph to assist himin his

m i n in the u . f e ed ca pa g aga st T rks Be ore he d part , he took

m u the m mn Of a for w eas res that e bellish e t his capit l, hich

n mu u n inu and he had already do e ch, Sho ld be co t ed, amongst those who received commission s for this purpose - u n name w no ﬁ was Pietro Paolo R be s , a by hich he w rst ft w u u d but w . appears, hich he a er ards s ally adopte On the 18th July the Duke gave hima letter of in tro duction an d recommen dation to Cardinal Alessan dro Mont m u n him s the m n alto, at Ro e, req esti g to a sist Fle ish pai ter I N ITALY.

m an d t u s me w of n in to ake copies o exec te o orks pai t g ,

the u for h m f n the 15 which D ke had ordered i sel . O th of f w n u u n n ta an w s t the ollo i g A g st, Cardi al Mo lto s er tha u n w himand he has told R be s that he ill assist , that he ha hi to l himin an u h s urged m app y to y difﬁc lties . T is Cardinal Montalto was a personage Of great importance — hs was the n w of S u . who n ephe ixt s V , had appoi ted him n an was t cardi al at early age ; he very rich, had grea

a in m of an d was fu in ex endi t ste all atters art, pro se his p was to one time u ture . He said have had at abo t

an n mu sum n n the ff n in the a year, e or o s co sideri g di ere ce

u f n was fr n of the u of val e o mo ey. He a great ie d D ke n u an d m n mu n u e Ma t a, he see s to have do e ch to e co rag

n d l u n a he p R be s . ’ It is to this period of the pain ter s life probably that we should attribute the n otes and drawin gs which he en ” ﬁ ri humanis n mnu u s &c . titles De g , The origi al a script

of s w was in 1845 in i n of s. thi ork , , the possess o Messr ’ u n of . n ne and e Woodb r , St Marti s La , a copy, very car fu u n of in n u and lly reprod ci g the varieties ks , la g ages , w n was u u m of the n u riti gs, bro ght abo t the iddle last ce t ry n n n f m u s an d An w his by Captai Joh so ro Br ssel t erp , to

f the w n wn n u . u n n ather, ell k o a tiq ary, Mr Ma rice Joh so , of a n w m was b the of Sp ldi g, by ho it exhi ited to Society ’ n u e in n n in l n A tiq ari s Lo do , as related Wa pole s A ecdotes ” of Painting . The illustration s Of the text are mostly taken fromthe Farn ese Hercules but besides there are a ’ ’ num of t of an d n ber Ske ches Michel gelo s Davi , at Flore ce, ’ of and u u Caesar the f m n com heads Galba J li s , or er s eck ’ ' w w w u side si e pared ith a co s de lap, Herc les s head by d ’ ’ w n and n w ul in a n ith a lio s, his eck ith a b l s, dditio to numerous small ﬁgures rapidly dashed Off fromearly 28 RUBENS .

n u s u ﬁ u s w t m as if Italia b rle q e g re , i h so e that look they ’ ‘ might have been taken fromMichelan gelo s Last Judg ’ mn w a num Of n u mumm an d e t, as ell as ber a tiq ities , ies ,

female ﬁ u f m u an d u in m One g res ro stat es b sts Ro e. rather strikin g circumstance about these latter is that the Roman

u and n the an mumm b sts, eve Egypti ies, have a decidedly

mis a u m Fle h ch racter s peradded . Altogether this is a ost curious record of some of the things which struck Ruben s

w en in Rome in earl w was h his y days , hether it at this

mor s m f u ti e o e o r years later . ’ The Man tuan Envoy in Rome at the time Of Rubens s ﬁrst

as e ni fi n we fin d in con visit w L lio Arrego . The rst otice nection with our painter is that the latter paid himfifty out of un u w t w b n n u the h dred sc di, i h hich he had ee i str cted to u him nn n Of 1602 12th of s pply . A little later, at the begi i g (

nu Arre oniwr t to Chie i n Ja ary) , g i es Secretary pp o aski g that the Flemish painter might be allowed to remain ﬁfteen or twen ty days longer to complete a picture that the Arch u u n himto n d ke Albert, thro gh his Reside t, had desired pai t

for the of n in the ur of ss chapel St . Hele a, ch ch the Holy Cro

u t on Jan Richar ot h of Jerusalemat Rome . F r her d (w o in an n m f nn Ricciardotto the Itali letter Sig s hi sel Giova i ), the

son Of m w e the u m f a celebrated diplo atist, rit s to D ke hi sel ,

m u The e i hardot an d makes the sa e req est . lder R c had

n u his son u ns an d the two u e tr sted to Philip R be , had jo r

ed s e 1601 n ey to Italy together, at lea t as arly as May, .

mn m m a u but the e t m They re ai ed so e ti e at P d a, l t er see s

n t n e e a u in m w to i dica e that they had joi d Pet r P l Ro e, here

e n w in the f w n ummr they c rtai ly ere ollo i g s e . There is

Of the n w was i n but ur n o record a s er that g ve , as the pict e

as ﬁn and on altar of St H elsna an d w ished placed the f , as

n was in min the m of we ma Rube s still Ro e iddle April , y

30 RUBENS . w of in l n n in orks art the celebrated col ectio the that city .

mn we n w w An A o g these, k o that there ere several by drea

n n n n of w n the um of Ma teg a, i e hich represe ted Tri ph ” u us ae and w the J li C sar, ere said by Vasari to be best ’ w Of n n f w he ork the pai ter s . This collectio a ter ards

h r f ur own in ha I an d u came t e o o . prope ty K g C rles , th s these Mantegn as have foun d a home at Hampton Court . ’ Rubene s copy of one of themis n ow in the National

N an d w m on his Gallery ( o. this thro s so e light d f u a n f of the mo e o st dy. Dr. Wa ge says o it ! His love fan tastic an d pompou s led himto choose that with the elephan t carrying the candelabra but his arden t imagina

n m u not n n tio , ever directed to the dra atic, co ld be co te t w n of a m w in nt n ith this i stead a h r less sheep , hich Ma eg a

in the side of the f m n u ns is walk g by ore ost elepha t, R be

n u i n an d n w w n has i trod ced a l o lio ess, hich gro l a grily at

the n . The t on not but elepha t lat er his part is idle,

n fu u un on n Of i in looki g rio sly ro d, is the poi t str k g the

Th s ere lion a blow with his trunk . e ev pattern he had before himin Mantegna has moderated Ruben s in his

for fu f m so are more n taste very ll or s , that they here oble

u im h u n an d n n u w h . T e in Sle der tha is s al ith colo ri g, as u m u u n in the his earliest pict res, is ore s bd ed tha later, fu u n m f m and yet more power l . R be s hi sel see s to have

set a alue u n u for was mn his high v po this st dy, it a o g ” I n the n n of u f un effects at his death . I ve tory Pict res o d in the house of the late Peter Paul Rubens after ” his the ﬁ of a i us a of ur is death, rst v r o rticles c iosity mn ne cloathss s u on in the e tio d as Three pa ted pp bord, be g

um of u u aesar f n n a n ot tri ph J li s C , a ter A drew Ma tegn ;

l cloathss ful made. These three passed to the Balbi

a n . u n the u n war P lace , at Ge oa D ri g E ropea at the IN ITALY . 31

n n n of i n u t w u t to n n begi i g th s ce t ry, hey ere bro gh E gla d, ’ m m in Mr Ro w for . ers s n where they ere so e ti e g collectio , and were ﬁnally bought for the Nation al Gallery for 1050 ’ u we see Rubens s w n guineas . Th s that copies ere ot

had mw of own m u . e n m exact Th y so e hat his i press po the , ’ u as in u n n mnu andin j st Mr . Ma rice Joh so s a script the book d w n s of umin the r sh u um ﬁ u of ra i g cost e B iti M se , the g res have a stoutn ess that is wantin g in the original sculpture or pictures fromwhich they are taken an d as his sketches of Egyptian sphinxes and mummies have a Flemish air i mn about them. Whether he cop ed a y others or only made

wn n w n ot We pictures of his o we k o . do know that there were at Man tua works by both the Bellin is (Gen tile an d

nn r n n n Giova i) , Cor eggio, Fra cia, Leo ardo da Vi ci, Michel

an m n n a u R mn gelo, Pal a Vecchio, Porde o e, R phael , Gi lio o a o,

n in t n and n A drea del Sarto, T toretto, Ti ia Paolo Vero ese .

a l in un 1602 u of n u set t E r y J e, , the D ke Ma t a ou on on e

of f u n . was at l n on 13th his req e t progresses He Mi a the ,

an d n w n on of hi . the e t to Casale, the capital s little princi

alit of Monteferrato w n was to p y , he ce he have journ eyed ain but for m n or n ag to Spa, so e reaso a other, the expedi

n was n an d u u n n u tio postpo ed, the D ke ret r ed to Ma t a . It

on e of o u n whi h u f is th se q estio s c s ggests itsel , but to w n o ns w has e n f un w hich as yet a er b e o d, hether Ruben s

m n his S erenissimo Padrone on s acco pa ied thi occasion . The ordinary biographies of Ruben s declare that he n w i was in visited Mila h lst he Italy, that he 00pied ’ ’ n u an d n Leo ardo s Last S pper, pai ted pictures of his own whilst there ; an d are n ot those pictures in the Brera an d m n to da to the A brosia Library this very y, attest the truth of these statemen ts ! But so many of these well-attested f u n out to m we mu b acts t r be i possible, that st e careful in 32 RU BENS . acceptin g this and many other legends about his Italian an d u n un we umn other jo r eys , less have doc e tary evidence

to ir u and in the evidence is n as the tr th ; this case wa ting. In the meantime other work of a new character was w n u n a aiti g R be s . We have seen that he has been all his life brought up amon g cultivated people ; of late years

n m m u of n u an he has spe t his ti e a id the co rtiers Ma t a, d the learned an d artistic society that has ever formed a select coterie in Rome ; his portraits tell us that he was a han d

m an d man an d we fr mhis n so e agreeable , gather o ow letters an d fromnumerous hints in the correspon dence of timc n m n ﬁ n f the , that he possessed a certai ag i ce ce o mn n was f e a er . He also o r ady j udgmen t and con ﬁden t in his n u All u n n ow reso rces . this mst have bee evide t to

u and we ma u to Mada/ma erenis the D ke, y s ppose also S

’ ’ szma an d in n u n was n for m n , co seq e ce he chose a issio all

m diﬁ cult was un a b the ore that it avowed . He w s to e

en on an artistic commission n was not an s t to Spai . It ’ m for Iberti was u n th u e bassy, the D ke s Reside t at e Co rt of Madrid ; but being a pain ter Rubens was sen t in charge

of m n n an d n mn and f n so e pai ti gs, bei g a good horse a , o d

f nim w r as to n m o the a al he so ell port ayed, he w co vey so e horses; an din his character of gentleman an dartist he was t n and m m f n o pai t portraits ake hi sel agreeable to the Ki g, ’ an d one h n n n f u to greater t a the Ki g, the Ki g s avo rite, f m n u u i u o . I 1602 Arri on the D ke Ler a A g st, , Lelio g , the

n in m was u of z n Reside t Ro e, ordered to proc re copies a do e f m t u u em o the os celebrated pict res . For this p rpose he P n of mn e n ow u ployed Pietro acchetti, a pai ter so e ot , tterly n Arri oni is n n m u forgotte . g co sta tly re inded to h rry on an d in m is u him the work, Nove ber it s ggested to that he n on an should se d the portion that is ﬁnished . He swers I N I TALY . 33

t n n but a n hat the pai ter is doi g his best, th t he had bee n o n n m of advised by less a perso tha Girola o Silva, keeper

w u n ot let m the je els to the Archd chess Isabella, to the go until they were ﬁnished in a mann er worthy of his reputa

n but u n r m tio , that they sho ld be se t by Ch ist as . By the

21st m a w n off w x n c u Dece ber, the c ses ere se t ith si tee pi t res , on e of w n of an d n hich, the Creatio the World, the Seve ’ n u a t an d of n f m Pla ets, exec ted by S lvia i Baldassare Sie a, ro

s of e had n n f the sketche Rapha l, ever bee copied be ore . A

. u fu an d r for the of bea ti l carriage, seve al horses, breed w n u for m n n een d hich Ma t a had so e ge eratio s b celebrate , an d w n u ‘ n mu u hich the prese t D ke had do e ch to keep p, n e h m were also to be se t with th ir Polis groo s .

On 5 of 1603 u n his s the th March , , R be s received passport andwas despatched with the presen ts which he was to de

n u n m n n n ssa Iberti. liver to the Ma t a a ba dor, Sig or A ibale They were as follows

n an d eleven ar uebusses To the Ki g, the carriage horses q , of which are sits at balsine at six razyées (whatever that may m n e of ﬁ w fume ea ) a vas rock crystal lled ith per s . To u of m n n a the D ke Ler a, all the pai ti gs ; a t ll silver w n two vase ith sce t ; gold vases .

un of mu an d two n s To the Co tess Le s , a cross, ca dle ticks of rock crystal . To n u z two of the Secretary , Pedro Fra q e a, vases rock

n n of am an d f n of of crystal , ha gi gs d ask, a ro tal cloth gold .

n m e u mn our With the prese t co es P ter Pa l, a Fle i g, ” n e the u in Iberti w pai t r, says D ke his letter to , to hose care we have resolved to commit these objects the arque busses have been made perfectly accordin g to the customof

un of ﬁn e e an dw of w this co try ste l , ith a clever device hich

u wi x n n n the said Peter Pa l ll e plai the secret. The pai ti gs D 34 RUBENS .

for u of m an d n r a are the D ke Ler a, si ce, as eg rds their

u an d i n u n u w sa q ality the r co str ctio , Peter Pa l ill y all

is i w -in f m man is we w that proper, l ke the ell or ed he , ill

n e n ff n ot go further i to details . These pr se ts are to be o ered ou n w the n of u of by y perso ally ith assista ce , co rse, Peter

u w mwe v u of n w n w Pa l, ho ha e the pleas re k o i g ill be

n u ou r n s n wi m i trod ced by y as a pe so expressly e t th the . An d as the same Peter Paul is very successful in pain ting

we if e an of u portraits, desire, th re are y other ladies q ality besides those whose portraits Count Vicenz o obtain ed for

u s ou w a e n of n . If te u , y ill t k adva tage his prese ce Pe r Pa l has any wan t of mon ey for his return you will furn ish im t m ” h w n us of un and we w &c . i h it, advisi g the a o t, ill ,

On 6th 7th of e u set f w the or March, Pet r Pa l orth ith h i is . H s w u n n cavalcade best road o ld have bee by Ge oa, but was v s n and u to he ad i ed to go to Leghor , th s had cross th enn n f u r n e Ap i es . As the letters o R ben s desc ibi g this j ourn ey an d his doings in Spain— foun d in the archives of

n u M man Baschet— n we Ma t a by . Ar d have ever, believe, b n u in n n we w i n n ee p blished E gla d, ill here g ve a tra slatio

f h w t hi i f m l n o t em. He rites o C epp o ro F ore ce

I llustrious ir nd Honou ed P atr n S a r o ,

To f n his m t n n obey be ore all thi gs os Sere e High ess , who has given me orders to report the s uccess of myjourn ey

e u m f of um n step by st p, th s co pelled by the orce circ sta ces, I

d mn ou e n ﬁd n amin deci e to tor e t y above oth rs , co e t that I

u w and u I n the mof yo r good ill co rtesy . boso the vast

n of m m an u n ou w l n ot ocea all the ost i port t b si ess , y il d n u u f w m isdai to occ py yo rsel ith y little bark, very badly directed up to the present time by the advice of some ign o

mu u no on e and n ot e u m f but ra s . I acc se , I do xc se ysel ; I say it in order that his Serene Highness may k now that

36 R E UB NS .

! f w . Baschet an un tof u There ollo s , says M , acco vario s t u on the ims of u m- u ffi fir ro bles road, cla c sto ho se o cers st at a and n n n m m u n Ferr ra, the at Bolog a. The co e re arks po n whi was far in of mn u the expe se, ch excess the parsi o io s ” n of u u provisio s the d cal treas rer . ! ” w l do w can n inu u n I i l hat I , co t es R be s ; it is the ’ u u n s notmn . If n ot n fi in me D ke s b si e s , i e he has co dence , he

n me too mu mn but if has far too has give ch o ey ; he , little . For if I come to an en d of it (which heaven gran t we may

not n l w w w to his u a n . experie ce ) , hat a blo it ill be rep t tio Then what danger would he have incurred if he had n me mu u m n m un w give too ch, s b itti g y acco ts al ays to a scrutiny as severe as he likes What loss would it have n of n an d m But am n n bee , except i terest ti e I occasio i g thi ou n an d t m n ot s loss to y , by this lo g ireso e letter, per ceivin g my mistake in speaking in so violen t a man ner when

n s u n treating with perso s o ele vated . Will yo r good ess me an d out of u fun m u m pardon , yo r reserve d ake p y d ﬁ n ou t f n u e cie cies ! I beg y , here ore , to be good e o gh t to n n of w w him o speak his High ess o ly hat ill please , n f r m n An d if mcom an d of what is ecessary o y i terest . y plain ts an d lamen tations do n ot require such energy and em u m m lf n ur m ru n phasis, I s b it yse e tirely to yo ost p de t

mn ou an d in u own j udg e t . I beg y to speak act yo r wa and d of u n an d so s n u y, to ispose yo r serva t ; , ki si g yo r

u m m f to ou . han ds, I s b it ysel y ’ um n Y our lordship s very h ble serva t, E' ‘ BEN FI I RO PAULO RU S.

mFlorence this da 18th March the ear 1603 . Fro , y, , y

e mst illustrious Annabals Ohie rio si nor secre To th o m, g ” tary of His Highness.

n on 26th r f m he He writes agai , the Ma ch , ro Pisa, that I N 1mm. 37

n m f un u e n six had bee ore ort ate, altho gh he had b e delayed on a un of r n h n setin as n days cco t the car iage, the rai avi g soo ft n mn h as he le Flore ce . Arrived at Pisa, he got the sa e ig t to n an d f un two or whi m Leghor , o d three ships ch had co e f m mu of n u laden w h ro Ha b rg at the desire the Gra d D ke, it

n and set w h t f i n cor , ready to sail it heir re ght to Spai . He

d m mw t on e of t ns w n had alrea y co e to ter s i h the cap ai , he

f mthe r n u w the latter received orders ro G a d D ke, hich

u him n s n t n u n en ca sed to cha ge his de ti a io . R be s th seeks an other vessel ; the captain is n ot sure of the time of his l n i n u n w m n sai i g, st ll havi g b si ess ith the ercha ts .

n the of u l u u mn O eve his depart re, stil tro bled abo t o ey m u n w atters , R be s rites

M st I llustrious and R es ected i nor o p S g ,

U n t m me u to p to the prese , it see s to I have bro ght a

n lu n u n of u n God do good co c sio the b si ess the jo r ey . May

men and n n m the rest Horses , , thi gs have bee e barked , and n n w n in us n ow but f u win othi g is a t g to a avo rable d,

fo f m ur u ur s n s which we look r ro ho to ho r . O provi io

n in for mn h an ur n have bee laid a o t d o passage is paid . I f in f n e n act, everyth g is per ectly arra g d, tha ks to the good fﬁ of n Thama no ﬁ t m n t in o ces Sig or Dario g , the rs ercha n bu t in t n n who Leghor , reali y a Flore ti e, , besides the f n has for n m m w ff t rie dship he Sig or Cos o, is ost ell a ec ed

w u n e hi n s to the Duke . It o ld ot displ ase me if s High es

in s n s n w u ff him k in k pa si g or repa si g here , o ld a ord a d loo

r f n w in u h wa n he s to o a rie dly ord, s c a y (si ce aspire honours an d lives upon the in cen se of Courts) that he may infer that he owes the good graces of the sovereign to

n ﬁ me um n s his be e ts to . As to the s s which his High es

n me not w t ut r u u of has se t , i ho great t o ble to the a ditor

the u n e wi n ot ufﬁ nt for n jo r ey, th y ll be s cie the expe ses 88 RUBENS . f m n to n ot to mn i n u an d ro Alica te Madrid, e t o the d ties

cu m or a n um n ma . sto s , ccide tal circ sta ces that y arise Signor Cosmo tells me that the journ ey is of Slight impor

n f u m and r ta ce , three or o r days at ost, I hea that it exceeds

280 ml the n ﬁt of s we i es . For be e the little horse shall ’ t u n . f n mn go by shor jo r eys O his High ess s o ey, there

mn but m n 0 ducatoni not re ai little ore tha 10 . It does

i n f if n ot n u for w s g i y they are e o gh, I have kept hat the

u f h u n D ke gave me on my own accoun t . I it s o ld happe that any on e has suspicion s about my n egligence or my f for n n l il w n acility spe di g, I shal eas y sho the co trary by m n of un u n ot n u e u n u a ea s the acco t . I sho ld ve t r po s ch

m nn in me an d m e so the of u re ark, a oy g to , or to ears yo r l if w n ot mm of mn n s ordship, it ere that the e ory a y thi g w n f m mu of n hich I have heard, eve ro the o th his High ess,

t and r e me . e u es exci es i ritat s Mor over, all the b sybodi , as if h w a in h n n mix t ey ere ppo ted appraisers, are aste i g to ” t m u in n n he selves p the egotiatio s . ” All n Baschet ! in m n of the e ded, says M . , ad iratio liberality of the D uke ! The sumwas much larger than was required for such a short journey Ample provision had been made again st every kind of acciden t an d every possible misfortun e Ruben s then gives an account of what he thought he

u do u w t u e n f m o ght to . Co ld he, he asks , i ho t d rogati g ro

n u of n the men of the ho o r his High ess, try to avoid pay t customs He dec lares that n ot the slightest disgrace has

u n If m n f m marked this jo r ey . he has had exe ptio ro

u was w n to the n n e u e of d ties, it o i g spo ta o s lib rality the

i x n of men n m authorit es . The e pe ses the have bee ode

for umtu u but n e u rate , those the horses s p o s ec ssary, s ch of w n an d nt as baths i e other precaution s . The co racts IN S PAI N . 39 made on the journ ey— as they will see by the original un s of the n r the n a acco t Marti elli at Fer ara, Rossi at Bolog ,

an d of n Tha mano the Riccardi at Pisa, Sig or Dario g at — n n n u . In f w Leghor have bee very adva tageo s act, here

had act in in of n he has to the terest his sovereig , he n u in has ac ted allu mercadan tesca. The Gra d D ke has creased the n umber of his horses by a hackn ey for Don ’ u n c mmnd at an an d J a de Wi h, his Majesty s co a er Alic te, his baggage by a magniﬁcen t marble table . ’ tim9 of Rubens s r in n nn At the a rival Spai , A ibale ’ Iberti had been for many years the Duke of Mantua s

n n E voy. He resided at Valladolid in order to be ear the - w fu Don n na n n all po er l Fra cisco de Ro s y Sa doral, Cardi al ’ u of m n fa u and f n D ke Ler a, the Ki g s vo rite chie Mi ister, whose estate of V entosiglia was a few miles fromthat

wn . n an d u w of art to The Ki g the D ke ere both lovers , an d had collections of the best pictures to be obtained at ’ t m in n n u Ruben n to that i e the Pe i s la . s s ext letter

Chie io a r in n pp describes his r ival Spai .

f w n n a. r a w n to A ter t e ty days alo g te rible ro d, o i g n in u n and n w n we on co t al rai viole t i ds, arrived the 13 w n n nn n ot th May, at Valladolid, he Sig or A ibale did f to us m u u l u me ail receive ost co rteo s y, altho gh he told n ff t f mhis n he had received o order tomthat e ec ro sovereig m . w w n me aster To this , hich so e hat asto ished , I replied in u wa n n n of n and that certa ly s ch s the i te tio his High ess ,

ft mn r n w u u u u to that a er so a y p ecede ts , it o ld be s perﬂ o s state that I was n ot the ﬁrst who had been so sen t to im had h his n . by the Duke . Perhaps he had reaso s He always shown himself an excellen t an d charmin g gentle man but h m t u , he as begged e o write to yo r lord

ship . 4 0 RUBENS .

. Baschet t us u u had mhin to M ells that, as s al , he so et g n n say about money matters . His expe ses had bee great ;

a 0 u to n 200 u n he had p id 30 sc di this perso , d cato i to that ;

w an m u and et was he had arrived ith e pty excheq er, y he

m in r obliged to spend so eth g; especially fo clothes . He w u h mm but mu w c mn o ld ave the odest, they st al ays be be o i g

s n w u to Iberti who the overeig he served. He o ld apply ,

himin n an d ut m f n i e un e helps everythi g, p hi sel e t r ly d r his

ns u n t hi n a to w i tr ctions . Tha ks o mhe had bee ble borro 00 u u 200 u s of own 3 d cats . He had disb rsed d cat his durin g the journ ey ; there are thus only a hun dred for

w is an d w l n rr to hich he debtor, he is il i g to ca y this the

account of his future salary. m 1 th u n w e u The sa e day ( 7 May) R be s rit s to the D ke .

nf m his n of r of He i or s High ess the ar ival the horses , pieni e belli come si semi della stalla di rostra Altez z a

erenissima . men in w S All the are good health, ith the

e n f ne mn- e o o a n . xceptio , his s rva t The crystal vases are w him ar n e o . ith , the rest the road He boldly an d freely anticipates some attacks on himthat mightbe addressed to

the u an d e an un D ke, deprecat s y reproach til he shall be a t f n d m f in e n ble o de e hi sel p rso .

On 24th u n an d Iberti w t the May, both R be s the ri e , detailin g the con dition of the pictures when they were n c u n u pa ked . R be s says

Un u f e u of m fa n j st at , jealo s y too great satis ctio , has not as is u mf m n n m ce ed, as its c sto , ro leave i g y joy with s mmf un not mﬁn d o e is ort e . Does it this ti e a mean s of de stroyin g where every human precaution could n ot only n ot n but n ot n u n u preve t, eve s spect da ger Th s the pictures packed under my direction an d supervision with every o a in n e of u m f p ssible c re, the prese c the D ke hi sel , after 41 I N S PA IN.

- u e fﬁ being ope ned at Alican te for the customho s o cers, an d f un in f t n n and ﬁna un o d per ec co ditio , lly packed to ’ at n Ibertis u m nce day Sig or ho se, have ade their appeara t and to u ir of li erally spoilt, that s ch a degree, that I despa

n a e m n s m es bei g ble to restor the . The ca vase the selv , u m u tho ghprotectedwith etal guards andwaxed cloth do bled, n in w n in n u n of the e closed oode boxes , are rotted co seq e ce

n inu us n for w n -ﬁve d n n in co t o rai t e ty ays, a thi g i credible

in u s sealed off u u and sw d Spa ; the colo r have , b lged p elle , in mn are n un t can be a y places hopelessly go e, less hey a - u in u h det ched with a knife an d re varnished . S ch tr t un n w n it is is the misfort e . I do ot make it a bit orse tha

in n n t n for w w l not order to e ha ce the restora io , hich I il f m m n n so ail to e ploy every possible ea s , it havi g pleased his Highn ess to make me the superintenden t an d condue ’ tor of other men s work without allowin g me to do a stroke

of m own hu not fr m n mn but the y . I speak t s , o rese t e t, at

u n of n Iberti who w s me n m s ggestio Sig or , i hes at o ce to ake a n umber of pictures with the assistan ce of the Spanish n r f n n pai te s . I eel more disposed to seco d his desire tha

of n r n the m we to approve it, co side i g short ti e have

f us n n an d n l be ore , added to the i credible i ability eg i n of n an d w of m n u n ge ce these pai ters, hat is ore co seq e ce, their manner (God preserve me fromresembling themin n w u ff I n f n ! n f mmn . a ythi g ) hich is absol tely di ere t ro i e act, en pergimus pugnuntia secumcornibus adversis componere. Th m w l not h u n t s the atter il be kept secret, t ro gh these pai er

in out for n m n an d lett g it ; , despisi g y assista ce advice, they ’ will usurp other people s work an d declare the whole to be

own . m e au u n their I believe this the ore, b c se, s specti g w is for u of m w not u t that the ork the D ke Ler a, they ill do b

n n for u hin of that the pai ti g is a p blic gallery . The t g is RU ENS B .

e n u n to me in and w u wil littl co seq e ce this respect, I o ld l n m ma n of but n u i gly ake the prese t the credit, I co cl de n e r t u n n n w cessa ily tha all this b si ess bei g do e here, ill be

n z n f n of u an d recog i ed eve by the resh ess the colo rs, the

n m trick prove of little adva tage . I have always ade it a

n n ot m u w an man w poi t to be ixed p ith y , ho ever great he mi in if w of one as ght be ; that case, the ork the is good as of u ﬁn m t un f un for that the other, I sho ld d os ort ately m r m n sver inato y pa t, that y character had bee destroyed ( g ) for the sake of a work of little value and un worthy of my

n m w n ot un n wn . If mm n a e, hich is k o here the co issio in n n me u w — w deed had bee give , I sho ld have ished ith m n u to himan d me— to n ore ho o r both , to have give a very

ff n t of i f c n u of rm who di ere t sor sat s a tio to the D ke Le a, is n ot i n n of n for n ﬁ g ora t good thi gs , the reaso s, rst, that he

t in m an d n deligh s the , seco dly, that he sees every day so mn m ure n and a y ad irable pict s by Titia , Raphael , others, ’ in n u an d th u mu s e . a the Ki g s ho se, at Esc rial I s rpri ed both at their quan tity and quality ; but of the modern s

r n n of an n u n m the e is othi g y co seq e ce . I protest si ply n o end in w in u n that I have other vie this Co rt, tha

s of n w h m f the ervice his High ess , to hic I devoted ysel the

hi Let him e and of ﬁrst day that I saw m. order m dispose m in in e n an d u e that as ev rythi g else, be ass red that I u i n shall con formto his instr ction s n every respect. Sig or

rti w me t u in Ibe has a like po er over ( ho gh less degree) ,

or am n if n ot u m wa of f I certai that, he does give p to y y in f mn m n n w e. seei g thi gs, he is per ect agree e t ith He shall w t u n ot mhimbut w ho be obeyed ; I ri e th s to bla e , to sho w I have had a difﬁculty in con sen tin g to make myself kn own by works which are not worthy of me an d of my seren e

r n who am u w n to fﬁ of pat o , , I s re, o i g the good o ces

44 EN RUB S .

’ e in n f n u n th ir place, the i terval be ore the Ki g s ret r , w wi end f n mn hich he hears ll be at the o the ext o th , he suggests that the said Fleming should pain t some half

z n nds case boscareccie n mu r z in do e la capes , , thi gs ch p i ed

n an d u ta for l u n Spai , very s i ble a gal ery, tho gh i deed

s th e for m not there is carcely the , especially as he has

n m w t un in e him bee able to eet i h a yo g pa ter to h lp . He will wr t u of m to n w w u i e to the D ke Ler a, k o hether he sho ld s n the i e to u his can use e d carr ag B rgos, so that Majesty it on his u n to an d w nf to him t ret r Valladolid, ill co ess tha an accident has happened to the pictures which the in div u who u t m n n re id al bro ght he is repairi g. Fi ally, the storation of the pictures will so delay the painter in doin g r of the n t the port aits ladies ordered by his High ess, hat he doubts whether Ruben s will be able to return before the period when his own successo r at the Court of his Catholic u a Majesty o ght to rrive .

Un of 7th un w n der the date the J e, he rites further ews

u u mn n abo t the pict res . The Fle i g is worki g atthem; the mf un n ot was u ﬁ is ort e is so great as it tho ght at rst, the

n is din x n l . On th 11110 restoratio procee g e celle t y the 5 J , n w is nﬁ m of of u h m the e s co r ed the death the D c ess of Ler a, at u r w n u f m d f m B it ago, t e ty leag es ro Valla olid, ro the

ff f m n n f n e ects o a alig a t ever . This is a great eve t at the

u t and his u n w ut off. Co r , a die ce ill probably be p u n n nu w and ﬁn it 17th R be s co timed his ork, ished by the of un . Two n n n w a J e s all pai ti gs o ly ere irrep rable, a copy ’ ’ ’ of . n an d nn To m u for Raphael s St Joh , a Mado a . ake p ‘ themthe pain ter had produced a Democritus an d a ‘ Hera ’ u w Iberti w m n the clit s , hich , says , ere estee ed excelle t ;

u of il n n n e D ke Lerma w l lose othi g by the excha ge . Thes

u w for mth e in a d but pict res ere so e the Torre de la P ra a , I N S PA IN. 45 in u 1714 w m a J ly, , they ere re oved to the Palace del P rdo, and now in d are the Gallery at Madri . On the Tuesday before the 6th July his Majesty re

u n f m u an d Palenz a d and t r ed ro B rgos to Valla olid , the n ext day the D uke of Lerma wen t to visit the tomb of his

w f . t of his m n n an d i e People s ill talked arryi g agai , dis

u n r of d n t c ssed the si ce ity his tears . The Resi e had applied

him u an u n an d n r f r to abo t a die ce, he had bee e e red to the King to arran ge a place and time for a semi-private

n w Don n n nt i tervie . Rodrigo Caldero e had bee appoi ed to him n u n but u to t not give i str ctio s , p hat date he had appeared .

of e n n was 17 of u and The day pr se tatio the th J ly, Ruben s thus describes it to the Duke

Most S erene Sire,

! Although the diligence of Ibertiren ders my letter u u u n n n w fu un s perﬂ o s , I evertheless ca ot allo his ll acco t to go to your Highn ess without a few words— not that u n hin but u I wish to s pply a yt g, to rejoice at the s ccess

ms n b n to m mn of the is io , esides bei g able add y testi o y as

n or n a t in of n havi g assisted take p r the delivery the prese t .

f r I have seen of u an That o the car iage , that the pict res d

I made. Del ca/raccino ridi delle itture eci. re vases ( , p f ) As ﬁ ta u in n u mn gards the rst, I ke pleas re stati g the j dg e ts n x ns w an d m that the Ki g e pressed by actio , ords , s iles as

n su of n an regards the seco d, I have had the plea re seei g d ’ remarkin g the D uke of Lerma s judicious admiration ap w was d and his sf t n w was plied to hat goo , sati ac io at hat

but far m nmn it was not rubbish ; as as y discer e t goes, num an d n f f occasion ed by the ber excelle ce o the gi ts . I

n if t f a n hope, the ( accep able gi ts ever rep y the do or) , that ha t n u u your Highness s at ai ed yo r object. The circ m 46 RU BENS .

an in ts of m and an d w st ces , other respec , ti e place, hat

n has n f u n us soever else cha ce re dered avo rable, have le t e s n an d n u mn of th ir assi ta ce, , above all , the excelle t j dg e t

Iberti who in u n the e m r , is very expert si g proper t r s ag ee u is able to the fashion of this Co rt. It to his suﬂiciency an d great care that I hand over the remain der of this his

t An d m t m um u a ory . the ore readily tha y h ble q alities p

i n w u n for pear disproport o ed, ith regard to yo r High ess, imn n n n v n ou w n a i g at a ythi g beyo d ser i g y ith devotio . ’ Fromyour most Serene Highness s

um n Very h ble serva t, ETER AUL BEN P P RU S .

FromValladolid the 17th Jul 1603 . , y, m e H hness t e Duk o m. To his most eren i h e Ma/ntua . S g , f , g 5 To the secretary the pain ter writes ! Seein g with my own eyes the presen tation of the little

r but n an in of u ca riage, taki g active part that the pict res , f un h to m sf n n w l I o d bot y sati actio , as bei g el directed an d m u u Iberti I t u acco plished by the very j dicio s . is tr e that he might at on ce have kept for himself all the

n u of mm n and et n me o ortu ho o r the co issio , y give the pp nit of m n m bow if w n n one his y aki g y , it ere o ly a sile t , to

an d n n n un ffe n f Majesty, a good co ve ie t opport ity o ri g itsel in an n an d u b e the w Ope p blic place, accessi l to all orld . I do not wish to put a bad interpretation upon it (it is of so n u n b ut was a n u n little co seq e ce) , I sto ished at the s dde ’ n af n mmun u cha ge, especially ter havi g co icated the D ke s

t him in whi h n recom let er to , c his High ess especially men ded my introduction to his Majesty (the particular f m n l u of n . n t a l n ot u avo r his High ess) I e io this , beca se

amn f ma or on e ambitions of m I l e t it like a or list, so e fu s or u am nn n n of s , beca se I a oyed at havi g bee deprived IN S PAI N. 47

but m un w n n u t n it ; I si ply reco t hat took place, othi g do b i g but that Iberti chan ged his resolution at the moment for

m u n — at t in ﬁre of n so e val able reaso , leas that the actio he f we u n u f lost remembrance o what had agreed po j st be ore.

n me in n o n n n or ex He has give , deed, expla atio , has he cused the reversal of the programme drawn out half-an

e n m ot n h man or u f . n i o ho r be or O y part, I have give pp tunit of n nor f n u y doi g it, have I let all the least hi t abo t

n this incide t . ’ was m the u n an d I ad itted to D ke s prese ce , took part

d f t n in the embassy. He exhibite his great satis ac io at the

n an dnumb of tu w n excelle ce er the pic res , hich certai ly have acquired a certain fair appearan ce of an tiquity (by means of u n in e n of m un reto chi g), Spit eve the da age they had der

n . are an d as n t for go e They held accepted origi als (at leas , m w u in an u on the ost part) , itho t there be g y do bt his

or n on u m him m side, assertio o rs , to ake believe the to u n ueen an d nobleman an d be s ch. The Ki g, the Q , several

n m m e m . n f t f f m pai t rs have ad ired the Fro he ce or h, ree ro

ma a mn set w all e b rr ss e t, I shall to ork at the portraits n and n ot off w ordered by his High ess , I shall leave the ork, at any rate until I amin terrupted by some fancy of the Kin g or the u of rm who m n D ke Le a, has already proposed so ethi g

r i u m f Ibe t . wi for amur to I s bject ysel to his shes, I s e he will n ot order me to do anything capable of being prejudi cial m n in w n m u mm f to ypatro s, hose a e I s b it ysel to his will . ’ Fromyour illustrious lordship s

n Very devoted serva t, ETER AUL BENS P P RU . FromValladolid 1603 this 17th da o Jul , , y f y.

To the rer illustrious lord mmuch res ected atron y , y p p , ” i n Annibale Chie io secretar t H . S or o S . H Ma . g pp , y ntua 48 RU EN B S .

f u n w Iberti r n The day a ter R be s rote, add essed a lo g

of u un n t i s letter eight pages to the D ke, reco ti g all the de a l of the ceremon ial of the presen tation . His account does n ot iff in u t n f m a n u n d er s bs a ce ro th t already give by R be s, in u Iberti n ot f t the letters just q oted . does orget o com men d the skill with which the Flemin g had retouched

u an d f w n min al the pict res, a ter ards arra ged the the h l a for n n u n of t llotted their receptio . The co cl sio the le ter serves to Show the high estimation in which Ruben s is already beginn in g to be held at this foreign Court

x n u of m u m His E celle cy, the D ke Ler a, has sed the ost

ur u m u mn who was n co teo s ter s abo t the Fle i g, prese t both at n n of r an d f f the prese tatio the car iage , the gi t o the

u has me if u n e n him pict res . He asked yo r High ss had se t

mn in of his an w to re ai the service Majesty ; I s ered , that ou w ul n ot n w m y o d be very glad to lose this serva t, ho

u n n n m n u yo r High ess had se t o ly to acco pa y the pict res , an d to give an account of the journ ey ; your Highn es s n ot n w n w if had met w a roba k o i g other ise , it ith the pp

n of an d n but t ur n tio his Majesty his Excelle cy, hat d i g

u n he w u m w u his the sojo r that o ld ake here, he o ld serve

e n in . in f a Exc lle cy all he desired I believe, act, th t the

u n n m n of him D ke i te ds to order so ethi g .

! m alladolid 18th J ul Fro V , y,

n w n to w t Iberti w Rube s e t ork at his por raits . rites at the end of the month that the Flemin g has begun the

n e an d n portraits that his High ess had ord red, is e gaged on m w u of mw s him !so e order hich the D ke Ler a i hed to ” u exec te . In the course of the autumn Ruben s was summon ed to

n f u of m V entosiglia to pai t a large portrait o the D ke Ler a . In the mean time he probably witn essed the entry of the

U E R B NS .

u u t of m f r m n u s . o bei g the s al re l si ilar orders I have , y

own m of ourn in n and at part, the exa ples the soj s Spai Rome ; both have turn ed into as many mon ths as there

n n r i n t were weeks assig ed to them. Sig or Ibe t k ows he in evitable n ecessity which has compelled both himan d me u ad j us usurpandumwithout orders . Does yo r lordship really think that the French yield in the matter of curiosity to mn or the n d a either the Ro a s Spa iar s, especi lly as they have a kin g and queen who are n ot strangers to tas te in the

ﬁne wn w n e u for arts , as is Sho by the great orks i t rr pted a time by inopia operariorwm About that I have Special in f m n an d how mu n ur n in n or atio , ch they are e deavo i g Fla n and n in mn and — in ders , at Flore ce, eve Pied o t Savoy

ns u n of n f m n u — m w co eq e ce bad i or atio , it is tr e to eet ith

n f n — a in me o worth. These thi gs and I s y it with the dul n of u — I u not w if n ot ge ce yo r lordship sho ld avo , I had

n for m n and m u already chose y patro aster the Lord D ke, so far as the favour be granted me of having Mantua for m un a u y adopted co try. The pretext, ltho gh a poor one of a n suﬁ cien t n me , the portr its to be do e, is to e able to

the m m an w nl n have access to ost i port t orks ; o y, seei g the n of mm n nn m n u w ki d co issio , I ca ot i agi e that the D ke ill u give their Majesties a f ll idea of what I am. I wish to u n m w u m advan s ggest, the , that to y idea it o ld be ore ta eous and u as man d m g s re, both to ti e price, to have the n or S n m do e by M . de la Brosse, ig or Carlo Rossi, by so e ainte is who u and ac u t md s p r, that , is habit ated c s o e to thi u t and who has a hima t n of his Co r , lready by collec io t n w u u n me m m u n ki d, itho t ca si g to lose ore ti e, jo r eys, ex

ns s in w m n n low ul and pe es, salarie , orks to y otio , v gar, n e of t n ut m f ab en to . I so Op all spit every hi g, I p ysel lutel as a an at of m m r y, good serv t, the disposal y aste , I N S P IN 5 1 A . and amready to obey the slightest intimation he may give me him w ma use Of me at u t . I beg , ho ever, to ke his Co r or w for n s m m n else here e terpri es ore appropriate to y tale t, and con formable to the n ecessity there is to continue the

un c u works already beg . This gra e I Shall be s re to obtain fromthe momen t your lordship shall make yourself an

n for me m u in f f i tercessor to y lord the D ke, aith o which I an w w h m um kiss h ds al ays it ost h ble respect. ’ Fromyour very illustrious lords hip s

um n Very h ble serva t,

PETER PAUL R UBENS. FromValladolid the ear 1603 , y .

To the illustrious Lord mmuch res ected atron , y p p , ” the i nor Annibale hie io S g C pp . CHAPTER IV .

RETU RN TO I TAL Y.

1604 TO 1608 .

HE date of the return of Rubens fromhis commission in Spain is another of those facts about which the re ’ a ﬁ n of n u s is de cie cy evide ce . His last letter to the D ke sec an d un and own n e retary co cillor, his patro , is dat d

a a mw u end of or N m V ll dolid, so e here abo t the October ove

1603 . he u n n or w for ber, Whether ret r ed at o ce, aited

Iberti who ft n tw n 11th and 15 of M r , le Spai be ee the th a ch,

1604 u un in n fte his u n in fol , is q ite certa . Soo a r ret r the lowing Jun e the Ambassador is asked for the accoun ts of ’ n n the pai ter s expe ses . In the m n m on 2n d of un 1604 u n is ea ti e, the J e , , R be s

z e n to u w s of 400 ga ett d as pai ter the D ke, ith a alary ducatoni ! f m mn to e a year, to be paid ro three o ths thre ” mn s nn n f m 24th of Un u o th , begi i g ro the May . til Febr ary, 1606 he mn an u an d u n , re ai ed at M t a, d ri g this period executed three large pictures as an a ltar-piece for the

u of n n n u s. Ch rch the Holy Tri ity, belo gi g to the Jes it u n u to n u mm of The D ke, a xio s do all ho o r to the e ory his m who was u in u other b ried this ch rch, gave the

n sumfor w n u is pai ter a large his ork . The ce tral pict re I N ITALY . 5 3

’ of n and n n described as the Mystery the Tri ity, co tai ed por

r u mm of f mil n ud n u traits of va io s e bers the royal a y, i cl i g D ke

n z an d u f u u mo Vin ce o his D chess , his ather D ke G gliel ,

m son an d his u . u has his other, his , da ghter This pict re n n u suffered a cruel fate . Whe the Fre ch Rep blican armies

an d n u in 1797 u mn besieged took Ma t a , this ch rch, like a y

was u b ut n t others , sed y the godless Revol io ists as a s ore

f r — us house for fodder o their cavalry horses a. e of ﬁne old

t u u tu s in r n archi ect ral str c res stilml mob ervable F a ce at the n . n h i who u prese t day A Fre c co ssary, tho ght to do

of u n to off u e a good stroke b si ess , tried carry this val abl

u b ut z u a fﬁ u n u pict re, its si e ca sed di c lty ; he accordi gly c t

it n for n n n of an was i to pieces the co ve ie ce carriage, d u f wa own un w n u abo t to or rd it to his co try, he the a thorities

of m of n u of u ft the Acade y Ma t a heard the sacrilegio s the , an d after some difficulty recovered the work of their great

u but of u in e m of w unfor g est , co rse piec s , so e hich had n tun ately disappeared . The pai ter Peliz z a was entrusted with the p utting togethe r Of the portions that were

recovered . ’ On the (spectator s) left of this picture was represented — the Baptismof our Saviour a drawing for which is still

in ou u n l p reserved the L vre. The s bject is divided ear y in f mof ht of hal by the ste a large tree, to the rig which is a w t h t n him n n in m the B ptist, i h C ris beyo d sta di g the strea , whilst towards the side of the picture are angels gracefully

n in air and u n m of ﬂoati g the , s pporti g so e the drapery .

n n n n nu who Lea i g agai st the tree is a early de Spectator,

n z n w i s f has either bee bapti ed or is bathi g, h l t to the le t

men a n r n or w n m are several b thi g, d essi g, ipi g the selves .

m i n s n ﬁ u n u and The co pos tio is plea i g , the g res at ral

fu but w n on e for m f n grace l, he seeks so e higher eeli g, 54 RUBENS .

h n f m t u t e a o new nfu n . te chi g so e ho ght, there is a pai l bla k

u has uff u mu m n n This pict re s ered q ite as ch as its co pa io , mthe o a n n fro st res th t have bee piled agai st it. On the right of the central picture there was the Mys ’ to of the ran ﬁ u n but no a un of ry T s g ratio , cco t this has m n co e dow to us. u n th m t n mn u n u D ri g ese sa e eigh ee o ths , R be s exec ted

s m of Corre ios for m u . o e copies gg the E peror R dolph II , who was n ot usually esteemed a very liberal patron of

n arts . The Court pai ter at Vienn a at that period was ’ ann von n nn d Ach in Joh Ache or Giova i , as he is called the

n w t u n m m m Italia records, by hich la ter s r a e he is so eti es n wn w n 1 nd k o else here . I 603 he had been at Mantua a must have seen some of the copies which Ruben s had had

f r u in m made o the D ke Ro e . Probably he suggested to the Emperor the desirability of havin g copies of two of the famu Corre ios w w min m n o s gg , hich ere at that ti e the ag i

ﬁcent n n u an d n mn collectio at Ma t a, also i dicated the Fle i g as u n to m i on n was a a s itable perso ake the cop es . V Ache n of n andw u u an of s m ative Colog e, o ld th s have extra tie y a h w u n who b m p t y ith R be s , proba ly believed hi self a n f th m o e . At n on n was ative sa e city all eve ts, V Ache ’ c mm n an u of n u o issio ed to apply to M erbio, the D ke Ma t a s

n u et m n f m m Reside t at Prag e, to g per issio ro his aster for w x u d w an u these orks to be e ec te . There ere at M t a

u m a n to u m m w n abo t that ti e, ccordi g a catalog e ade so e t e ty

ar u ﬁr t wa ye s later, three pict res by Correggio ; the s s ’ Venus an d Mercury teaching C upid to read, a picture w w mn f m am i n was hich, ith a y others ro the s e collect o , bought by Dan iel Nys for our Kin g Charles I an d wh afte mn u e u n n n d ich r a y vicissit des has r t r ed to E gla , n and is ne w in the Natio al Gallery (NO. The secon d I N ITALY . 55

’ mm n an me and . t is Ecce Ho , the third St Jero e edi ati g ’ ’ u Rubens s not n a over a Sk ll . As copies have bee tr ced, we cann ot tell which of the three he painted for the Em

eror but w e w e we n u n p , hichev r they er , they re do e d ri g the n of u who in u of umm of abse ce the D ke, , the co rse the s er

605 s m Um si u 1 , vi ited the Vallo brosa, bria, Assi , Per gia, an d m ft u n w on 30th m Ro e . A er his ret r , he rites Septe ber,

1605 the u n an d s n , that both pict res are do e ready to be e t,

in fac t w for on 24th of o as t they shor ly ere, the Oct ber

ue. w the en d of 1605 u n they arrived at Prag To ards , R be s ’ e u n to m The u en w Chie io r t r ed Ro e . D ke s Resid t rites to pp on 11th of e u 1606 himw the F br ary, , to credit ith the pay ’ mn f n - e t O the pai ter s salary of twen ty ﬁve scu di a month .

L in on 29th ul u n m f w e ater the year, the J y , R be s hi sel rit s ’ to the coun cillor to beg for the continuance of the D uke s fa u w him ma n nu u wi vo r to ards , that he y co ti e his st dies th

n f r m f n s out looki g elsewhere o the eans o doi g so . To thi ” he n n m Pauolo Ru n his letter sig s his a e Pietro be s , usu n u w n w t n in n seems a b al Sig at re he ri i g Italia , as he y u n m n choice us ally to have do e . At other ti es his sig a

u m u n m m u en s an d t re is si ply P. P . R be s, so eti es P . R b , n o in stan ce is kn own of his writin g his Christian n ames in full in any other lan guages than Italian an d Latin ; in the latter lan guage it takes the formof Petru s Paulus

Rubenius.

w end of m u n s w t To ards the the sa e year, R be rites tha

a m u n and to he is gre tly e barrassed by his s dde recall, begs be allowed to remain at Rome to ﬁnish some importan t

w . n umm in u of orks He had spe t all the s er the st dy his art, an d had been obliged to un dertake these works because he could n ot keep up his house an d two servants on the 1 i l n m 40 scud he had received fromMan tua whi st i Ro e . 5 6 U R BENS .

un was n ow n himand A great Opport ity prese ted to , his ambition urged himto put himself forward as a can didate for the hon our of paintin g the altar-piece of the church of

n i in w was t n n c Sa ta Mar a Vallicella, hich he bei g de orated

m of m t e n in m s by so e the os cel brated pai ters Ro e . Thi was a chan ce of makin g his position among the ﬁrst painters of the day which he would be very sorry to

r n of u n miss . Several pe so s q ality had i terested them

I n f. f t u m t n selves his behal He el s re, oreover, hat Cardi al s w u n t f i t him Un Borghe e also o ld o a l o help . der these circumstan ce s he hoped to be allowed to remain three

mn or u n in ﬁne w for . o ths, to ret r the eather that period A fortnight afterwards the Duke directed Chieppio to let Ruben s kn ow that he gave himpermission to prolong his s u n in m t a m m w ojo r Ro e, so h t he ight acco plish the ork w w i n mm n d and for s ith h ch he had bee co issio e , that thi he might have three mon ths but that he must n ot fail to

m n u in was co e to Ma t a by Easter. Nevertheless , the pa ter n in m in un 1607 an d n ft certai ly Ro e J e, , he o ly le at last

u of u who s e re at the express req est the D ke, de ir d his p s n u n not u n u w u m e ce . R be s did ret r to the D ke itho t so e r u n on own an d m n f m el cta ce his part, so e Oppositio ro

u the n n other q arters , Cardi al Mi ister, Scipio Borghese, de mandin g that he Should ﬁnish the altar-piece for the church

f n in O w un . Sa ta Maria Vallicella , hich he had beg

In of 1607 u of n u the latter part the year , the D ke Ma t a as mu u in w ch occ pied various ways . The Academy of n him n E o e of levati an din con Flore ce had elected to be the ,

u n u n n n mu i m n seq e ce he had t r ed his atte tio to s c, co positio , an d and but n of u n who lyric poetry, took little otice R be s , was u n fu ﬁ his w and u n th s e abled to l l ish ret r to Rome . He ﬁnished the picture for the high altar of San ta Maria in

EN 58 RUB S .

’ w n for n w din u w ith the preparatio s his so s ed g, abo t hich

hadn ow n u n h f un but e he go e to T ri , t at he had o d little opp r tunit for a in him u an d n ot y t lk g to abo t it, adds, I have ’ foun d his Highn ess disposed to acquire Pietro Paolo s pic

u In m of x n we n t re . atters e pe se proceed at prese t very

at th carefully . He wrote e same time to Ruben s him s f u n fu in l wa was el , p tti g the re sal as de icate a y as he able. u n in u ua m n ﬁ n mnn t R be s , his s l ag i ce t a er, akes the refusal very lightly! On the 23rd of February he writes

hi io t n n himf r ﬂic e o es. n to C pp , ha ki g his good o He is ot sorry that the affair has fallen through it has given him an opportun ity of havin g his picture exhibited in Rome in an r a of u an d f n ot othe p rt the ch rch , as the athers do object

n r mn n f n to his alteri g the t eat e t accordi g to his a cy, he w ﬁn d mfor in m n ur n ill probably a ho e it Ro e . He the t s to n m w we se in a other atter, hich have pas d over order to

ﬁn u n u u ﬁ n m ish this b si ess abo t the pict re rst . O the sa e day that he wrote to Chieppio to offer the picture to the

u n w t to u to sa n D ke, Mag o ro e the D chess y that he had bee with Peter Paul Ruben s to see the picture that Pome

n t f n l i n at Pomeran cio ra cio (Cris o ero Ro ca l , bor ) had

ain e for . far u u was t p t d her As as he co ld j dge, it a grea su c was a n in m mn n an d w c ess ; it p i ted as asterly a a er, ith ’ d an m as great stu y d care as the artist s most fa ous works .

e n ot u n own u mn n ot n H does rely po his j dg e t, havi g a

uﬂicient n w d Of n n but u n w s k o le ge pai ti g, R be s agrees ith himthat 400 gold scudi is n ot an excessive price for such

u ne wh is r u mn ﬁ a pict re bymo o ep ted to be a o g the rst in . h w n w u n in artists Ro e T is is hat Mag o rites . R be s his later letter urges Chieppio to settle matters for him

n u s an d f Pomeranci betwee the D che s Cristo ero o. The I N I TALY . 59 painter had done his best to please her at a time when he

as u ﬁ 500 u w very b sy ; at rst he had asked gold sc di, but she u n n u as tho ght that exorbita t, he had co s lted

n nt ns an dw n and with several i tellige perso , ith Mag o, they

she u n ot a n 400 and he had agreed that co ld p y less tha , h she w u n sum n as w m s oped o ld se d that soo , other ise atter w u w w for himan d u n otl to o ld be very a k ard , he sho ld ike

m n n e wa undertake any such co missio s agai . The matt r s n ot u but was a n settled q ite so Speedily as he desired, it t ke out of n and m n in of n w m his ha ds, re ai ed those Mag o, by ho ,

n t mn was in u an d u e at le g h, the o ey paid J ly, the pict r in m received by the D uchess in the follow g Septe ber. The picture for the n ew church Of the fathers of Santa

in was ﬁn and ut u and to Maria Vallicella ished p p, is still n but we a n un the ﬁ t be see there , h ve bee able to trace rs

n n w for m n or can we sa w r pai ti g hich he did the , y hethe u n ﬁn d m in m a - e R be s did a ho e for it Ro e . The alt r piec represen ts a Madon n a with the holy Child restin g on her arman d ar un are n um of u and n n , o d a ber cher bs k eeli g

an . Two u u one of w re re gels side pict res s pport it, hich p s n the m M . r w anx e ts Pope, St G egory, ith the artyrs SS . and Pa i a an m c d on St. p , the other are portrayed Do itilla,

w . u an i 1 ith SS Ncre s d Ach lles. ( ) It was mention ed above that the Duke of Man tua had

n n gon e to T urin for the marriage of his so . O the 18th of

un ft u n n setf m J e, shortly a er his ret r , he agai orth, this ti e

n an d u f m n to Fla ders, tho gh be ore he had ade it a great poi t u n u a m n him n now re that R be s sho ld cco pa y , the pai ter ma n i m u n u n i ed quietly n Ro e . The D ke at all eve ts jo r eyed on n to In ns ruck s an d n w l by Tre t p , Ba le , Na cy, at hich atter a t mw u a pl ce he stayed a shor ti e ith his da ghter Marg ret, who in 1606 ma u in of had, , rried the D ke de Bar, a pr ce U E 60 R B NS .

a n en u ne on the house of Lorr i e . Th ce he jo r yed to

n - - and w e Colog e, Aix la Chapelle , Spa, her he stayed the f mn of u u ri n u greater part o the o th A g st, ar vi g at Br ssels

2 n 1 th of e m w n n w on the 9th. O the 7 S pte ber he e t to A t erp,

u n n en an d f an u n n R be s bei g still abs t, a ter exc rsio i to Hol

n n nu ur u of n w la d, co ti ed his to to the Co rt Fra ce , ith

mn m m s an d which he re ai ed so e little ti e , both at Pari at

n u At n f on Fontai eblea . le gth he le t the latter place the

2 for n n be 2 nd of October Marseilles , goi g to Flore ce to pre m of one of mw on sent at the arriage the Medicis . So e here mus the road , probably at Marseilles , he t have received a

far we n w f m u n was letter (the last, as as k o ) ro R be s ; this f m mon 28 th of n dated ro Ro e the October, as the pai ter was on the poin t of mountin g his horse (salendo a Cavallo)

n to return to A ntwerp . He says that he co siders it his u n not u n n u to v d ty, as his High ess has ret r ed to Ma t a, gi e himan account of the n ecessity which compels himto act m m n n in n to n ab al ost i perti e tly, addi g his already lo g

n n t in n un u it se ce a o her a dista t co try, tho gh he hopes

u da but n e be may be a short on e. The ca se is that the y o

r w n w m of the Of fo e he rote, very bad e s had co e state his ’ m who n erw in other s health ; , besides bei g oth ise ill , has

n of m w she additio a very bad attack asth a, hich, as is n ow n -two u n ot w u an seve ty , he co ld hope o ld have y other

min n n t w mmn man I t w u ter atio tha hat hich is co o to . o ld be m for himto u h and a hard atter go to s ch a sig t, as hard h w w u of a n . ad to go itho t the leave his p tro He , ho ever,

n ul w n n an d n u e w u co s ted ith Sig or Mag o , co cl d d it o ld be w f mw mi n on d an d ell to act ro hat ght happe the roa , accordin g to the n ews he might receive to keep to this

n ns himn ot u n pla or that. It co oled a little that d ri g his ’ Highn ess s stay in Antwerp his family had requested his LEAvES I TALY . 61

u n an d fu nf m n i ret r , lly i or ed Sig ors Felippo Pers a and An n ibale Ibertiof n of n w m n h the eed his prese ce, by hich ea s e had good hope of the compassion of his Highness in such a But he w u not n case . t evil o ld the have become so desperate a n w s it is o . ! He begs his Highness to be so good as to give an accoun t to ‘ Madama Serenissima (the Duchess) of his mf un and u himfor v n m n t is ort e, to exc se sa i g ti e by o join in the u n to n u but n g D ke, or goi g Ma t a, taki g the straight n f u road with all dilige ce . O his ret rn he will n ot say more than that he will always be ready to execute the w s of n an d to d n i hes his patro , observe his irectio s in v in s an d m u iolably all place at all ti es . His three pict res in the New u w ﬁn an d if was Ch rch ere ished, , he not de ceived n u fu in m u w n , he had bee s ccess l the , altho gh, o i g ft f w un to his haste, he le be ore they ere covered (the

n mn n t n ﬁn marble or a e ts o bei g ished) . ! On his return fromFlan ders he could come straight to

n u w w u m t for mn Ma t a, hich o ld be ore to his aste a y n an d i l m n n m f reaso s, espec al y as he ight the prese t hi sel to ” hi i n And so an s H gh ess . he begs to kiss his h ds .

’ n n u n in u Here e ds Rube s s sojo r Italy. Tho gh he more

n n w s u n t n r tha o ce expressed a i h to ret r thi her, he eve had an un an d w an l no fu com opport ity, , hat is str ger stil , rther munications between himan d the Duke of Mantua ever n f of not m n seemto have take place . The act his acco pa y in u n u w len of gthe D ke to Fla ders , co pled ith the total si ce the Records of Mantua about himfor the future (with the exception of three slight in cidental allusions in the letters of n i n in one ma n Pria d , the Reside t Paris), leads to i gi e that ’ some u mbrage had been taken by the D uke at Rubens s RU 62 BENS .

nx u n m but on n the a iety to ret r to Ro e ; , the other ha d, as t- u a n n w u l q oted letter is sc rcely co siste t ith s ch a theory.

n ft w in 1630 w n to f n Lo g a er ards, the year , riti g his rie d,

Peiresc and n of of n u , speaki g the sack Ma t a, he says, me m f m n h u This grieves extre ely, ro havi g served the o se of nz a mn and n n m Go ag a y years, havi g e joyed a ost de fu e n in un u n m u ic light l r side ce that co try d ri g y yo th . S ” ” erat in atis. n u . 153 and f Sai sb ry , p CHAPTER V .

' ‘ SETTLED Al ANTWERP.

2 1608 To 16 0.

UBENS mounted his horse in Rome on the 28 th of

1608 n w an He October, , to travel orth ards to Brab t.

u n an d on wa met jo r eyed with a heavy heart ; , his y, he m n n be the news he dreaded . His other had died i e days f f u mn ain in u ore he started . For o r o ths he rem ed secl sion

in the of in u h of w she Abbey St . Michael, the ch rc hich was buried ; and there he an d his brother Philip raised

n mmnumn fu n mu -r a ha dso e o e t to that care l, lovi g, ch t ied w man w m w f m w mu — m o , to ho the hole a ily o ed so ch ore, un mm n w w of. probably, tha these yo ger e bers ere a are The pain ter was now in his thirty-secon d year— a man . u an d n n ﬁ an d in lli of con siderable bea ty prese ce, dig i ed te

n u mn f m rofes ge t. He had st died his art a o g the ore ost p s of in of — m ors it, the cradle all the arts, the other city, m mn in u an d n w Ro e ; he had i gled Co rts, co sorted ith s te mn u and n in n w ta s e , co rtiers, pri ces ; he had ga ed k o l e t a whi h il m u m Gen edg by r vel , c st l akes p a co plete tle man d n m ms lf n m not t an havi g ade hi e a a e, al ogether and a had u n to the f unknown in Spain It ly, ret r ed city o a of u n n to his fathers on the Scheldt. He t lked ret r i g 64 RUBENS .

a m u of n u but It ly, as he had i plied to the D ke Ma t a ; cir umtan c s ces prevented this . He was too well kn own to be w l w u an m t hi allo ed to eave itho t atte pt o retain m. His

hi m man of m m n brother P lip had beco e a so e i porta ce . A

u of Li sius u of un e p pil p , t tor the yo ger Richard t, he had by u 1609 n nt of n w and i J ly, , bee appoi ed Secretary A t erp n the course of the previous year had brought out a han dsome umof a n n u vol e Excerpt at the Pla ti Press . Abo t the m m m Me i of wh sa e ti e he arried Maria de y, s ster Clara, o

en ma mu to Jan n had be rried ch earlier Bra dt, also Secre

a of n w . u t a u of t ry A t erp A da gh er, Isabella, w s the iss e - ’ the last mention ed marriage ; an d the aunt s wedding pro ’ bablyhastened Peter Paul s resolve to con sole himselffor the of m m n n n 1 th of loss his other by arryi g the iece . O the 3

1609 e u of . ic l October, , at the Abb y Ch rch St M hae

' u u n u ! oﬂe n Petr s Pawels R be s espo sed J Isabella Bra t. For some years the newly married couple resided with Jan n w son n was f n an d com Bra dt, hose He ry the close rie d n n n u n the of f pa io of the pai ter d ri g rest his li e . Philip u en in one of his w mu of R b s , letters , speaks ith ch delight hi m i w w u un himm w t t s arr age, hich o ld ite ore closely i h his brother.

e u of u n and fir w f n ew The cel brated pict re R be s his st i e, in in un must n n the P akothek at M ich, have bee pai ted w n fi few of mr f an d ithi the rst years their a ried li e, is a ’ in am f n mnn strik g ex ple o the pai ter s a er at this period. m n an d u fu r n m n His cal sere ity tho ght l exp essio , co bi ed u and f of e w n with bea ty orce charact r, are ell bala ced by n n mn an d n of w f the placid co te t e t happy dig ity his i e, as the sit un ir own n an d fi - e pair der the vi e g tre , prepared ‘ no afl ected mn a to receive their visitors . There is de o str n n fu r n cou w -to- n of f o . tio eeli g, bash l rest ai t A ple ell do

S E TLE N W R T D AT A T E P . 65 and able to e njoy themselves are happy to share their pleasure with others .

t f m ia on 23rd of m Shor ly be ore his arr ge, the Septe ber ,

u ns was n mn u t n u a R be o i ated Co r pai ter to the Archd kes , s

w a e t and n f n u n they ere c ll d, Alber the I a ta Clara E ge ia

. n w h a him n n Isabella This positio , hic g ve a pe sio of 500

lems u n to 500ﬂ orins of r n t u F i h livres , eq ivale t B aba (abo t was m to w M n u and si ilar that hich he had held at a t a, ” w a n of d n w a m ith these ch i s gol , as his ephe c lls the , he seems to have been stayed fromhis con templated journ ey to

n w s . I me r a mtt an Italy the sa yea , too, he ad i ed by J

u n m n u (s r a ed Velvet) Brueghel i to the g ild of St . Peter

au th n wh and St. P l of e Roma ists (or those o had visited the

t n of w his m r van n E er al City) hich old aste , Vee , had been

n u n n of his dea the previo s year . O the occasio admission w ﬁ u in two an h of St. an d he pa ted p els it g res Peter St. u the n n of the u an d of m f w Pa l , patro sai ts g ild hi sel , hich w fu the u d 175 ere care lly preserved by g il as late as 7 .

u was ﬁrmf n an d him Velvet Br eghel his rie d, assisted in s mof w and min tac un i o e his ork, they re a ed greatly at hed t l ’ Brueghel s death . u a n in t u n mu By the pict res he had p i ted I aly, R be s st have m n sumof mn of w ade a co siderable o ey, part hich he laid out w s n w d z l an d u mn in n ith arti tic k o le ge, ea , j dg e t, a ti

uities u u m and w of w q , pict res, stat es , ca eos, je els, hich he

l t n . I n 1610 u t of n had a vast col ec io he bo gh a plot la d, and proceeded to build a house after his own fancy in

n and w f the Italia style, he decorated it ith rescoes by

own n h t mn of his ha d. T a he had already, like a y the

n u u m u early pai ters, st died architect re to so e p rpose , we see by the plan s an d elevations he published in 1622of the

Palaz z iantichidi Geneva. n n As he ever visited Italy agai , If 66 RUBENS . thes e measuremen ts an d drawings must have been made

m n f h u ef . w o is In b ore this ti e Dra i gs ho se still exist.

n un w was in m n the garde he erected a rot da, hich i itatio

of the n n R m and was f m Pa theo at o e, lighted ro above . Of t f m u and in his t u u his he or ed a st dio, it placed s at es, b sts,

has- f n m and relie s, porphyry vases, o yxes, agates, edals, — pictures said to be more worthy of a prince than a private mn n Houbrak n n . e u him ge tle a Accordi g to , this ho se cost

ﬂ orins.

for n m en t in u The story has a lo g ti e be told tha , b ild

in un w n l on n n n g, he itti g y trespassed la d belo gi g to the n of Ar uebussiers of n Compa y q A twerp . A lawsuit was r n and u n his f n th u th eate ed, R be s applied to rie d, e b rgo

m Rock ox n of m n who n aster , captai the co pa y, soo showed

him was in wr n . Un um n that he the o g der these circ sta ces, he thought it advisable to come to a compromise with the

m n an d in u n for m t n of n co pa y, ret r the s all por io la d he had n for m f appropriated, he agreed to pai t the a picture o their

a n . to set u in of p tro , St Christopher, be p the chapel the to t n f cathedral dedicated tha sai t. In ulﬁlmen t of this

n u n in f mu n bargai , it is said that R be s pa ted his a o s Desce t ’ f m o w mn in in n ro the Cr ss, hich still re ai s its orig al positio . f m of t on w n of It or s a part a trip ych , the i gs which are ’ ’ mn n ‘ n . a d t n w represe ted St Si o The Visita io , hilst St . i in n w u u m n mn Chr stopher perso , ith his s al acco pa i e ts, the wl was for the t m an d o . a her it , reserved ex erior The t le adds that the crass intellects of the Antwerpian burghers did n ot perceive how the three former pictures fulﬁlled the condition of representin g Christopheros (the Christ and f n him f w bearer) , that there ore the sai t sel , ith a her mit an d n n an d an owl n u was la ter , to de ote the b rghers, f u afterwards added to satis y their scr ples . That which

S ETTLE AT A NTWERP D . 67

gave its n ame to the subject is n ot the most striking part of m n an d so m u to the co positio , gives so e colo r the story ; but f is ur was e ‘ m n the act , the pict e ord red by the co pa y,

for n mn ite in i m an paid by i stal e ts, exhib d the r roo s , d

ﬁ nally removed to the cathedral . The whole sumwhich u n e ﬂ orin s was n ot in fu R be s rec ived, , paid ll un til m 1622 on e fa out of w Dece ber, . The ct hich the whole tale ’ arose was that a party-wall between Rubeus s garden an d

a of m n was u wn an d u l an th t the co pa y p lled do reb i t, d that the painter and the company paid between themfor the 323 pots of beer that were con sumed by the workmen whilst rebuilding it These pictures are too well kn own to require much

r min our m S . Two of m n c iticis li ited pace the , the Desce t ’ f mthe and n n in ro Cross The Visitatio , are give this

um the fu mmn vol e . They exhibit to ll the i e se pictorial

w of n n of u n po er the pai ter, his bold ess colo ri g, his vivid

n of n t n w m mt ess co cep io , hilst at the sa e ti e hey are deﬁcien t in that touchin g elevation of true art which is to be foun d in the works ofmany of the religious painters of earlier ages who cann ot approach Rubens in the technicalities of pain t

in . r u n n u n n d an d g The g o pi g is at ral , co ce trate , agreeable ; u n mst w fu and u n the colo ri g is o po er l tr e, deali g with

fﬁ u u un m w n di c lties previo sly atte pted by others the dra i g, though inﬂuenced by a desire for the gigantesque an d m t u an d ful the assive, is r e care the expression s are

umn an d but a of ﬁn mn o h a real there is a l ck re e e t, f

an d of u t n . umn delicacy, s gges ive ess The dead H a ity the w u n f t Oppresses hole pict re, the Divi e Li e has depar ed, ’ an d we are bearers of Christ s burden without feelin g

us n HimIn n ﬁ that it is a Cross to elevate earer to . co rma

n of n n we we tio the Opi io have here expressed, can not 68 RU EN B S .

u n w a f a ! An ‘an resist q oti g h t M . Al red Michiels s ys ! ti ’ n on n I n i n f m Christia c ceptio sp red the Desce t ro the Cross, an d n e did u w n u Pan ver a less pio s ork ador a ch rch . A

w u n ot u iff n theist o ld have exec ted it d ere tly . The body of u n ot of whi n Jes s is that a God, ch is to rise agai the

i m n of man in w h m th rd day ; it is the re ai s a , hic the ﬂa e ” u n of life has ceased to b r .

n ow u in u n our n an d Work po red po pai ter rapidly, he co uld not have accomplished it all had he n ot been most m in n n n f ethodical his doi gs . Accordi g to the Lati li e of him his n w was us m by ephe Philip , he acc to ed to rise very ’ in umm f u k and mm ft w early ; s er at o r o cloc , i ediately a er ards m un u f mw uff he heard ass, less the go t, ro hich he s ered n him n w n w andw greatly, preve ted . He the e t to ork ; hile pain tin g he habitually employed a person to read to hima book of Plutarch or Sen eca ; so that his min d was simul

n l ml n in an d n w ta eous y e p oyed o read g pai ting . This as ” m . n f w n n f the ti e , says Dr Waage , still ollo i g the Lati li e, ! w n n l w w m he he ge era ly received his visitors , ith ho he n w n n n n on of e tered illi gly i to co versatio a variety topics , in n m n a n n u the most a i ated a d greeable ma n er. A ho r f nn w to n w be ore di er he al ays devoted recreatio , hich con sisted either in allowin g his thoughts to dwell as they

on u nn w n or w listed s bjects co ected ith scie ce politics , hich

in him or in n m n his latter terested deeply, co te plati g t u of mn not m an reas res art. Fro a xiety to i pair the brilli t of his f n n u but S n in play a cy, he i d lged pari gly the

su of t an n but w n . ft plea res the able, d dra k little i e A er w n a n i nin u u if n ot n orki g gai t ll the eve g, he s ally, preve ted u n mun n u n and by b si ess, o ted a Spirited A dal sia horse,

f or t f ur x rode or an hour wo. This was his avo ite e ercise ;

was x ml f n of an d s n al he e tre e y o d horses, his tables ge er ly

70 R U BENS .

His royal patrons the Archduke s se nt for himto Brussels

am an d i to n . u was n pai t a Holy F ily This pict re exhibited, it

u d f f ef n mm d ce the Chapter o the Order o St . Ild o so to co is sion the Court pain ter to exec ute for their altar in the C an

n u ru se t w i n ow n de berg Ch rch at B s ls a riptych , h ch has bee

n f to n n en n e n tra s erred Vie a. The c tral portio repr se ts the Virgin prese ntin g to the Saint himself the chasuble of the ’ w w n on ft on e Order, hilst the right i g ( the spectator s le ) , of t m i in w u n l those portrai asterp eces hich R be s excel ed,

en u m n n n repres ts the Archd ke , acco pa ied by his patro sai t, kneeling in the dress of the Order ; the left win g similarly

f n a a represents the In a ta Is bella with St. Clar . The ex

r ml he te ior was adorn ed with another Holy Fa i y . T Order was ﬁ w u an d mm n greatly grati ed ith the pict re, co issio ed u es n st w h u s of their treas rer to pr e t the arti it a p r e gold .

w u en a fu l fus of This , ho ever, R b s gr ce l y re ed . Works this

n and a n e of the u u a n ki d, the p tro ag Co rt, bro ght the p i ter

n n n an d the n a u and i to ge eral otice, all pri cip l ch rches towns in the Spanish Netherlands vied with each other in

n u o mof his r w their e deavo rs to p ssess so e greate orks . In 1611 u n met w n w the year R be s ith a other loss , hich he must have felt very deeply— that of his only survivin g

Jan s had brother, Philip . His eldest brother Bapti t, died at An twerp in the year Of the painter s departure in to Italy ;

n n who m mn Du arck his sister, Bla di a, had arried Si o p q, in 1606 u n s n s of faml died , d ri g his ab e ce ; the re t the i y

f urn f m n so a n ow had died be ore the ret ro Colog e, th t n n b Peter Paul was alone left of his ge eratio . His rother Philip left a widow and a daughter n ot a year an d a half old; a postumous son was born rather more than two ’ wa n m months after the father s death . This child s a ed

f and u w t s if in Philip a ter his father, s rvived to ri e a hort l e

S ETTL ED AT A NTWERP . 71

n of his llu us un w i for n mwas Lati i strio cle, h ch a lo g ti e

u r s Gevartius attrib ted to Gevae t ( ) . ’ was n ot un the 5 th of un 1614 t Rubens s It til J e, , tha

son was n u am his eldest bor . The Archd ke Albert bec e

f an d himhis own n m. a f u god ather, gave a e Ne rly o r years

af n l b his ﬁ w f saw . ter, the o ly other chi d y rst i e the light These are the two boys whose portraits we give on the

n a . u vi f and o t ext p ge They both s r ved their ather, the ldes succeeded to the active enjoyment of the oﬂice which his fat r had but Of wh h fu ﬁ u he held, ic he l lled the d ties by — un i of n proxy the clerkship to the Co c l Braba t.

u n the r o of w i we a en ea in D ri g pe i d h ch h ve be sp k g,

n a n m r r Rube s p i ted so e of his g eate st works . Ou S aviour ’ n t t r was na in givi g the keys to S . Pe e origi lly placed

of St. u u at u s mmr the Cathedral G d le, Br s els , as a e o ial picture ; it was sold in 1824 to the Prince of Oran ge for ’ An l t n of an mmn E eva io the Cross , i e se pic ture with a great number of ﬁgures covering the centre an d w n of t h on the xt of w w ain i gs a trip yc , e erior hich ere p ted

n an d l was x u for hu h St. Catheri e St. E oy, e ec ted the C rc

of St. a u n w but is n ow in a al W lb rg, at A t erp, the c thedr . ’ an a n of the a to c din i of For Ador tio M gi, be pla e the cho r

the hu of St. a w mt was Abbey C rch Mich el , here his o her

u an d he m f n m e ft b ried had hi sel bee arried, he receiv d a er

m mu ﬂ rin n e u o s O e of c . so e de r . his b st pi t res , St ’ e a n for u s in u a r in in Ther sa ple di g the so l P rg to y, orig ally the u of a m s n w r and two ch rch the C r elite , at A t e p ; others, n u St . Ann e instructi g the Virgin and the Dead Savio r ’ a on n n ow in the us um n w . l id a sto e, are M e at A t erp ’ An n of a i for hu of S t. n Adoratio the M g , the C rch Joh at

n was n in 1616 . u n n d Mechli , pai ted This R be s co sidere

e Of w on s u e t w a n t so the b st his orks thi s bj c , hich he p i ed RU 72 BENS .

f u ntl n n of w n in the req e y . O the i terior the i gs he pa ted

of two . n an d n deaths the St Joh s , the Baptist, the Eva ge an d and on m two n list Apostle, the exterior the sa e sai ts in mn on e in w n an d their retire e t, the the ilder ess the

m ﬁ e u e o . v w ther at Pat os These pict res, tog ther ith three ’ o on s ‘ u n of our thers , Christ the Cro s, The Res rrectio ’ ’ vi u an d n of e ft Sa o r , The Adoratio the Sh pherds , a er

war m n I . w n ds re oved to Marseilles by Napoleo , ere pai ted

in n a an d for e w eightee d ys, paid at the rat at hich

u n u u l u w viz 100 u a R be s s al y val ed his ork, . , g ilders ’ da us £180 as Rubens s y. The eight th cost , receipt, still

n w . preserved at Mechli , sho s In manw esuits— a whi un the e hile, the J body ch , der the in u n f l had u n w in the ﬂ e ce o Phi ip II . acq ired imme se po er

n c un n u n of Netherla ds, espe ially by dertaki g the ed catio

un — u a m n ﬁ en u w en the yo g b ilt ag i c t ch rch, hich has be described as a temple of the Arts rather than of God ; an d in n u n an d n i a n of u the co str ctio i ter or decor tio this ch rch,

u n was n n R be s co sulted a d employed . The high altar

was a n w two of w an d two r dor ed ith his orks, other alta s in the u al u himbut ch rch so had pict res by , besides, he pain ted no less than thirty-nin e ceilings with scenes from

n u n n n an d n n of the Bible, i cl di g the Asce sio Coro atio the

in an d u e of u n . w of s Virg , pict r s vario s sai ts The hole thi work was unfortunately destroyed in the last cen tury

1718 ﬁre u n n but n ot un m ( ) by a ca sed by light i g, til so e eighteen of the principal design s had been drawn in red an d n an un an d chalk by Jacob de Wit, e graved by Je P t

a of u u ‘ n n by Preisler. Sever l the s bjects, s ch as the Asce sio ’ ’ of our u n n of i a n i n and Savio r, Asce sio El j h, the Asce s o ’ n n of n n tri Coro atio the Virgi , the Archa gel Michael ’ um n the e en x n l w phi g over S rp t, are e ceedi g y ell adapted ‘ S ETTLEI) A T AN I WERP . 73

r mn on n an d u n — w n for t eat e t ceili gs, R be s o i g probably to — his lofty rotunda studio was particularly successful in the

erS ective an d f n n of u u we nn p p oreshorte i g s ch s bjects ca ot, w n t n n but a . however, gree ith Dr Waage , tha the a cie ts

w in v n u n for u for were ise a oidi g s ch positio s pict res , besides the difﬁculty of con templating themin ordin ary u lm m w a post res , it is a ost i possible to thro proper light u n w w in u po orks so placed ; besides hich, these latit des at

as we u if not f t w u f le t, req ire a light, a per ec ly hite, s r ace, in order to reﬂect light do wn wards upon us as we get it out of d f m oors ro the Skies .

' man n Ruben s was aﬂ able to all the world . No k ew

how ma ms f n to who better to ke hi el agreeable , eve those w n ne to u w him but m me ere i cli d q arrel ith , at the sa e ti n o one knew better where to draw the lin e between those who were thus allowed to share in his kin dly conversa

n and e who we e mt n nm tio , thos r to be ad i ted i to the i ost

n m fr n n shrin e of his i ti ate ie dship . Whe the doors were

u an d n and f u u set sh t, the ca dles lighted, the r gal s pper , u ma e Rock ox n ot n in n the b rgo st r, Nicolas , did k ock vai , J an Gaspar Gevaerts received a hearty an d a learned w m Jan n t an d son n m in elco e, Bra d his He ry ight look ,

l u n so n d w m Phi ip R be s, lo g as he live , received a ar pres u of the n and u w n s re ha d, a joke abo t hat they had see or don e in Rome in those pleasant bachelor days ; some of the more advan ced and in timate of his pupils drew roun d the

an d a n n n on n u m hearth , a le r ed co versatio a tiq ities, edals , or m w un n On n n s artistic ge s ﬂo ed restrai edly. other eve i g there were letters to be written to learned men at a dis

an a C u Peiresc n u n t ce, to Nicol s la de Fabri de , the a tiq aria of n f n of n men u Prove ce, the rie d lear ed all over E rope ; to

V alaves his w n f m ft for brother, he the or er le Paris the 74 R U N BE S .

u . . u u w s t was So th ; to J or P D p y, hil t this la ter away fromParis too ; and in later days to the Coun t-D uk e

l n in n as onall to the a O ivares, the Mi ister Spai ; occ i y M r

’ uis of nola and even to nf n f. Rub ns s q Spi , the I a ta hersel e ’ n n e n off w ﬁve eve i gs, l avi g ork as he did at or six o clock, n to m of w n ot d accordi g the ti e year, ere idle . He collecte n of u f m good books , se t copies those that iss ed ro the n n f n n an d Pla ti Press to his rie ds at a dista ce, eagerly

t r n u n in u n but he received their li e ary co trib tio s ret r , had

m n in e n u o e i n o ti e to spe d r adi g r bbish (p ltron r e) . In the meantime the amoun t of wo rk produced by him

ot n u was en ormous . N o ly did he receive mch assistan ce from

u but his own mmu n n mz his p pils , ti e st have bee eco o i ed to the uttermos t. The students in his studio were n ume u an d was m s n mn ro s , he able to ake a electio a o gst those

who w n u n . n n van ere a xio s to e ter it A tho y Dyck, Jacob

ordaens and n n a him d J , Fra s S yders, especi lly did goo ’ was Rub n s ut a u service . It e s habit to sketch o s bject in - u on m a um of s w Oil colo rs a s all sc le . N bers the e orks still

i u for n n e un r ex st, s ch , i sta ce, as the sketch s at M ich fo

u m u s and a of n for the the L xe bo rg serie , sever l the desig s

l n n in in n l n . Whitehall cei i g, to be see private galleries E g a d w u n u who on These Sketches o ld be ha ded over to a p pil, ,

fu - z n w u n u m the ll si ed ca vas, o ld adva ce the pict re, ostly,

w un of m who fr mm m ho ever, der the eye the aster, o ti e to ti e w u n m a n in r n mn of ﬁ u o ld eve ake alter tio s his a ra ge e t g res ,

n d n ﬁ l me f set w u n in u a the nal y hi s l to ork, p tti g the vigoro s u m so mu h own But w to ches which ade the work c his . ith u all this the work was don e in his own way. His p pils

n a n az s were taught his peculiar method . The tra sp re t gl e f w m u use mt of n us t O hich he ade s ch , ad i ted bei g th deal with by two persons ; and though Rubens received much

S ETTLEI) AT A NTW ERP . 75

fr m hands of w u n ot m r help o the others , he o ld ad it thei te n of nor t n w of al ratio his ideas, adop the origi al ork other men u w n was u ce con . Th s he he s pposed to have re ived siderable f m n in a n n m in an m help ro S yders p i ti g so e liv g i als,

w w n Sir u n in 1617 Tobie Matthe , riti g to D dley Carleto , ,

u a in ill if u m says, that he sho ld t ke it part I sho ld co pare

a n Snyders with himin that point . The t le t of Snyders is to n but es eciallie d a represe t beasts p Birds altogether e d, ‘h Ch lr ! do w w u n n (it w Lp holly o t a ie actio ! that y M . Gage

‘3h (is I sawe of his han d w we liked see well was a Gruppo of dead Birds in a picture of Dian a 85 certain e other n aked

! imhes ub n rotesteth and . a avoweth dz! N p , as R e s p , M G ge , mm ” 1 n ow myself doe well re e ber it .

w s mof M . A . Michiels tells a story to sho that o e those

who u ur w u a n bo ght his pict es ere, like Sir D dley C rleto , a little jealou s lest they should be put off with apprentice ” n a n u f work . He was e gaged to p i t a pict re o the Last

u f r n S pper o the Cathedral at Mechli . The artist having m his n u u van mn m n ade sketch, se t J st s Eg o t to ake a begi u n n who n nin g of the pict re . The ca o had ordered the pai t ingwas n ot best pleased at receiving the disciple in stead of m and n u wh did not m the aster, i q ired y the latter co e .

u m u u ﬁ n was w . He told he o ld co e, as he s ally did, to ish it mw n on and u was r n an d n o Ti e e t the pict re prog essi g , still

u n m n h n n w fu u t R be s ca e . At le gt the ca o rote a rio s let er

Besides those mentioned above he had as assistants or u ils ustus , p p , J vau E mont Peter van Mel Cornelis Schut J an van Hoec S imon de g , , , k , V s Deoda van der Mont or De mont Nicolas van der Horst Momers o , to l , , p , ’ an ildens a nes Moermans illemI anneels Peter Soutmans J W , J q , W , , r mu uell n an Bronchorst David Teniers the Y oun er Theo E as s Q y , J , g , dore van Thulden Abrahamvan Die enbee Frans outers Gerard , p k , W , van Her ean Thomas Matthew van den Ber S amuel Hofman an p, J , g, , J ’ van Sto Nicolai I ennemaeckers and Jan ic tor ‘Volfvoet. k , , , V 76 RUBENS .

a n u n himto m m f or l to the p i ter, req esti g co e hi sel recal

u n n w u n n n was Justus . R be s a s ered ass ri g the ca o that he

f f ud wa in man not the victimo a ra . I al ys proceed this ner ft n m the e m u to ; a er havi g ade sk tch, I leave y p pil

n u an d w out n m n begi the pict re, ork it accordi g to y pri ci u n ples ; then I retouch it an d set my seal po it . I shall c ome to Mechlin in a few days your disconten t will then ” c . w and n n ease He kept his ord, the ca o recovered his ’ w m on u seren ity when he sa the aster s touches the pict re . Ruben s was n ow a prosperous man he possessed a han d s m u an d m n ﬁ n n of su o e ho se, a ag i ce t collectio ch rarities as he loved ; he was married into one of the families of highest stan din g in An twerp he was attached to the household of the Archdukes and employed by them; and he was popular as an in mu w n w how artist, hav g as ch ork as he k e to

m n w of u l mn acco plish eve ith all the help his p pi s . Like a y

men of da was n e in n ﬁ other the y, he i terest d the scie ti c wh w n nnin m and discoveries ich ere the begi g to be ade, like his contemporaries— he was n ot able to discern at all timmbetween the true an d the false in the science of the f u m n t m. n thata rien dhas s i e He thi ks di coveredperpet al otio , ” an d o s n an n umn m w prop se to se d i str e t co plete ith a box, ’ ! to Peir esc u n r u , tho gh he co siders that Drebbel s pe pet al ” m n in n m an d otio a glass ri g is a ere toy, speaks rather dis

! ara in l of nn n w n n er en p g gy the Optical ca o hich, sta di g p p dicularl n x n n ut n y, i creases e traordi arily the thi gs p be eath ” ff n we u of u m n and it. So di ere tly do j dge perpet al otio m n ow ! was n ot man w n icroscopes He a , ho ever, to spe d either tim9 or money on doubtful researches . Walpole tells

of an n man n m en or nd l for a story E glish a ed Br del Bre e , m n f e w an ms who w n erly a pai ter, a t r ards alche i t, a ted Rubens to furnish himwith a laboratory and app aratus for

CHAPTER VI .

PARI S AND ANTWERP.

2 1620 TO 16 5 .

’ UBENS fam was n ow w S e idely spread . He was

n wn in n an d n n in k o Italy, Spai , Fla ders . E grav gs ofman of his w w n mu d n mu y largest orks ere bei g ltiplie , i so ch that the sale of themin Fran ce was a privilege he con sidered w m u on own w it orth so e tro ble his part, as ell as n n n of f en n u f the i terve tio his ri ds, to retai , tho gh he a ter w r in n n ff in 1620 a ds declared he ga ed othi g by his e orts ,

n osterman u m of ﬁn at all eve ts, V prod ced so e his est ’ u m u n-m plates . Abo t this ti e the Q ee other, Maria de

n n to son ui XII L was Medici, bei g reco ciled her Lo s , n n of u m u in a i w ador i g her palace the L xe bo rg, P r s, ith

m n ﬁ n and was n out for m the greatest ag i ce ce, looki g so e

n to out w of n . n n pai ter carry the ork decoratio He ri, Baro the ma a of an d at u of Vicq, A b ss dor Albert Isabella the Co rt

r s of n of the u n . Pa i , spoke the pai ter Co rt that he represe ted ’ N u h f m o do bt Maria de Medici had eard ro her sister, the u of n u and f m mm of f m D chess Ma t a, ro other e bers her a ily who had n himin n and w of u see Flore ce else here, the co rtly grace as well as the artistic exc ellen ce and fertile imagin ap u n as ummn n of mn . w a tio the Fle i g R be s s o ed to P ris. He

80 RU BENS .

n owhere does this appear more strongly than in s uch a series of paintings as the Luxembourg pictures n ew in the ’ u r or n of l . Ruben s Lo v e, the ceili gs Whitehal Chapel s allegories were so far-fetched that they were n ot always

l n m n m c intel igible eve to sy pathetic co te poraries . He om

' plain s that ﬁgures crown ed with towers and drawn by lions are mistaken by the writer of an explanatory Latin poem

or s w n n f the Godde s Cybele or Rhea, hereas he i te ded to

n f of n in f u ur and perso i y the cities Flore ce the o rth pict e , ’ n n S ‘ Lyon s in the i th . O too his Happy Hours are mis to u s or Z un derstood be C pid ephyrs . Ruben s was not forgetful of the personage to whomhe n u n u n n for owed his i trod ctio to the Q ee . He pai ted ’ n n and of Baro de Vicq a Virgi Child, besides portraits

an d w f u a w nn c te w h himself his i e . Nat r lly the ork co e d it ’ ’ the Queen s pictures required Rubens s frequentpresence in We ﬁnd was t u n umm of Paris . that he here d ri g the s er 1622 an d mof e n n w n , that so e th se pai ti gs ere i spected by u n in un 1623 but w in S of w the Q ee J e, , the hole ( pite hat

m of s an d n u u l ur ost the biographer , eve the s a ly acc ate

m sa n was n ot ﬁn s Dr . Le cke, y to the co trary) i hed until 2 the beginning of the year 16 5 . It was probably in the earlier journey that he had con siderable intercourse with u n f the Q ee hersel . Walpole says that he gave her lesson s n n i drawi g . She seems at all events to have been delighted w u andw f ith the pict res ith the painter. She used o ten to

n w t himw was at w and no u co verse i h hilst he ork, do bt had explanations given her of all the recondite meanings of r w w n n u in m the allego ies, hich ere ﬂatteri g e o gh the selves . On one occasion she is said to have consulted the painter

as ni n u u i of u and to his opi o abo t the bea t es the Co rt, he was introduced into the Court circle where they were all EC R TI O F THE LU XE U 8 D O A N O MBO RG . 1

ss m in m as to o a e bled, order that he ight decide their p n m m n posi g clai s . Whatever ight have bee the expectation or s of u en on h er mn n n de ire the Q e , de a di g his decisio , he gave an unhesitatin g preferen ce to the Duchess de Gué mén ée who had had a m f v r , the t ct to ake hersel ery ag eeable

. ue n m w a recia to the artist The Q e , oreover, Sho ed her pp tion of his works by ordering other pictures— a liken ess of f n a an dfu - en t a f f hersel as Bello , ll l g h portr its o her ather and m u n s of us an n d n n other, the D ke Fra ci T c y a A e of

u u n u n A stria. As R be s co ld ever have seen these two

n a s s n w a man f perso ge , i ce they ere de d y years be ore he w n to mu s a w e fr m us s e t Italy, he t h ve ork d o previo portrait t by other ar ists . Before Ruben s left Paris he was employed to make cartoons for some tapestry which was to be produced in

u for n of n u X . w Br ssels the Ki g Fra ce, Lo is III These ere

u l ﬁn e for in nn n of 1626 m n q ick y ish d, the begi i g he co plai s of n ot n mn for t m was havi g received pay e t he . There also an inten tion of constructin g another gallery at the

ux m u w u n was n w f of L e bo rg, hich R be s to ador ith the li e

n . n f m w o He ry IV , as he had already do e the or er ith that f

u n u n an d the n his Q ee . The b ildi g progressed, pai ter heard rumours of others bein g employed upon the work of which he f u u n t thought himsel s re . His jealo sy o his occasion rather detracts fromthat grandios e disdain of petty con sideration s

w s w in i f . ﬁn w hich he ho ed his earl er li e He ds , ho ever,

a he to em ft an d e n set th t is be ployed a er all , he vide tly

w for ft e u on the u t to ork, a er his d ath several pict res s bjec

' of f of n . w in u of eﬂ ts the li e He ry IV ere the catalog e his ec .

Tw s n ow in en n ut of o of the e are Flor ce . The breaki g o

u r w n u n an d nal u an d the q ar el bet ee the Q ee Cardi Richelie ,

u u n w w n n n her s bseq e t ithdra al i to the Netherla ds, preve ted G 2 U 8 R BENS .

m n m a n o the co pletio of this project . He co pl i s greatly f the and of n ufﬁ n of mn delay, also the i s cie cy the pay e t he

r i received f omthe Queen . When n Paris he writes to

Peiresc in n m n in mn m r Prove ce, co plai g that the co i g ar iage ’ of u n u r n n r tta ( the Q ee s da ghter, the P i cess He ie Maria) ’ un h ‘ u his ac and e was of . delayed co ts, that tired this Co rt

i es e ft n (I o mi stujfo d gu ta cort . ) He a erwards recko s that ! this work of the Queen has been very prejudicial to me if we do n ot allow the generosity of the D uke of B uckin g ham(he Spells the name Bouc quin gham) to enter into the ” un acco t .

u n r of his u u ns metw D ri g this pe iod great s ccess , R be ith some of those losses which often seemsent to a man in the supreme hour of his prosperity— like the Slave in the ’ en um or mumm in n f t g eral s tri ph , the y the Egyptia eas

mn him he b ut m in n to re i d that is ortal . First, the begi n n of 1625 his f n t u i g the year , he lost rie d Velve Br eghel , whose daughters he took under his charge ; at a later

one of t mm u i un period, he arried his p p l, the yo ger David

u n w ns i n for m Of Teniers . R be s rote the i cript o the to b

Brueghel .

I n m of n x 1626 in un or the iddle the e t year, (either J e ,

all n f 15 of u he u n a. at eve ts , be ore the th J ly) , s stai ed

t — of w f n grea er loss that his i e Isabella Bra dt . They had

n m ri n and two n on e w bee ar ed Sixtee years , had so s , t elve

he was u and the other eight years old. S b ried with much

m in u of . w po p the Abbey Ch rch St Michael, here his mother lay an d on the following Michaelmas-day be dedicated a picture of the Virgin and Child to her

f of n n a memory . The act the accompa yi g t blet having this

as m f date, led the older biographers to give that the ti e o her death ; buthe refers to his loss in a letter to Pierre D upuy

4 8 RUBENS . one of several that he took in the same direction with a

n n w n own unt and political i tentio . A peace bet ee his co ry u w mi r o n had the D tch , hich ght est re prosperity to A twerp, been his dreamever sin ce the sign ature of the truce in 1609 w n on e of n u mn him , hich had bee the i d ce e ts to to settle down in his patern al city ; an dpeace with the D utch

i d n n tw imme peace with E gla d . He hoped that these o great objects of his life might be forwarded by some of the But u t frien ds he made in the United Provinces . this s bjec m n is ore proper to the ext chapter. CHAPTER VII .

RUBENS AS A DIPLOMATIST.

1626 TO 1629.

u n n w t u of u n m HE acq ai ta ce i h the D ke B cki gha , w u m n t re which e have all ded to above, had i porta n n w n u as sults for the courtly pai ter. It bega he the D ke w u m of w n in Paris to disc ss the ter s the treaty ith Fra ce ,

n m of w h n a i view of the arriage Charles it He rietta M ria . On this occasion he was n ot likely to act with less than

u u fu n two n his s al pro sio . He had portraits pai ted by

u n for w a n £500 ao R be s, hich he gave the p i ter , the pay, ’ n Rubens s u u m of n n for ﬁft d cordi g to s al ode recko i g, y ays of own w u ca m his ork , a period that co ld s rcely be e ployed u n n wa on these two pictures . D ri g the sitti g there s opper tunit for n t n u ns was e n in y co versa io . R be ver i terested

n His own un uff u the affairs of ations . co try s ered mch fromthe unfortun ate war in which E ngland and the u w n n in w n m n um n D tch ere co te d g ith Spai , aki g Belgi , the the Spanish Netherlands (at all times the bat tle-ﬁeld of

u uff for n n n of in E rope) , the s erer the co te tio s others . S ce of u b in 1621 u n the death the Archd ke Al ert, , R be s had had more intimate knowledge of the views of the Infanta ” s an d of ar u of n n man I abella, the M q is Spi ola, the o ly , 86 R UBENS .

s ! who mu n u n w u he ays, had ch i ﬂ e ce ith her . He co ld speak of the views in favour of peace which they had

n u to m un su fu m av e deavo red i press ( ccess lly, he ight h e

but h was n o n a n s added, t ere adva tage to be g i ed by o

n u n u f n sayi g) po the Co rt o Spai . He probably did n ot at that timc kn ow that the person al dislike of the Minister ’ Olivares for Charles s favourite was sufﬁcien t to keep

u lun in ar for mn n u E rope p ged w a y years lo ger . B ckin g hama in u n z lso had his s ite a pai ter, Baltha ar Gerbier by n m who was n n a u his f a e, Fre ch by pare t ge, tho gh ather was u n in n w man m in act ally bor A t erp , a at ho e every ” a h t f n n n d o n n . son o a atio , specially attac ed o e The n of n w who n ot n to t an d ative A t erp, did belo g hat city,

man who was u Antwer ian u n ot the thoro ghly p , tho gh

n n n u in mmn n u bor there, had at all eve ts e o gh co o to i d ce m u d of n u as the to keep p a good eal i terco rse, especially the higher powers on each side made use of the unobserved

' nt u of two n m n i erco rse the pai ters , as a ea s to arrive at

f n n the demands an d requirements o their oppo e ts .

w en d of the u n mon the To ards the year B cki gha , occa n of di m u n an d to sio a plo atic jo r ey to Holl , paid a visit ’ n mr u w was r in the pai ter s re a kable st dio, hich g eatly n w hi wn n was accorda ce ith s o extravaga t taste . He mu s w n n of n u tu ch plea ed ith the gra d collectio a tiq es, sta es, ha - l f u w s n &c . an d mm re ie s , precio s sto es, , i ediately Sho ed his d m u n was n ot n u esire to possess the . R be s a xio s to w n but n h u md part ith his collectio , at le gt , thro gh the e ia

n of n or n of m m nn i u tio Le Blo , Blo del, A sterda , a co o sse r

of was n u for on those days , he i d ced to accept it n n u w u fu n him own co ditio that the b yer o ld r ish , at his - w of tu u and has f . cost, ith casts the sta es, b sts, relie s Walpole is in clined to think that Ruben s made a very

I 87 A S A DI PLOMAT ST. good bargain ' in thus selling what did n ot cost him but we can hardly think it very extravagan t when we

n nin n t n w n -one s n co sider that etee Ti ia s , t e ty Ba sa os, t n eroneses m Vecchios n hirtee Paolo V , eight Pal a , seve

n n s n n s Ra tee Ti toretto , three Leo ardo da Vi ci , three phaels,

n d n tu u n s m f f m art a thirtee pic res by R be hi sel , or ed a p ’ n f u few of t of the collectio . A ter the D ke s death a hese d of in n nd but of were isposed E gla , a great part the collection was sen t back to An twerp for sale before the

u n of u n m t in 1649 an d was seq estratio the B cki gha esta e ,

u h n u d who p rc ased by the the Viceroy, the Archd ke Leopol ,

u f e added it to his collection at Prag e . Several o thes

e e f w m e to nn w e works w r a ter ards re ov d Vie a, here th y

a was may be n ow seen in the Belvedere G llery . It reported n ot lon g sin ce that a further portion had been i u but we f t n discovered st ll at Prag e, have ailed to Ob ai any clear ac coun t of them.

for n was un in end of The treaty this collectio beg the .

1625 but was n ot n u as m , it co cl ded at least late as Septe

m n m mn n n and 1627 . In ber, the ea ti e, a y co versatio s, m nd n n w n u n so e correspo e ce , had take place bet ee R be s u n mn ot n mu n n an d Gerbier, B cki gha bei g ch i cli ed to peace whilst there was any hope of glory to be got from

n n a t of 1 27 w n z x . I 6 the Cadi e peditio the early p r , he the n egotiations for the collection still afforded a pretext

mmun i n u n n m mu for co catio , R be s agai ade proposals , ch as

i t ef r n ow f he had don e n Paris wo years b o e . They ell

n was nt u s t upon more willi g ears . Gerbier se to Br s els o propose a treaty which was to in clude the D utch an d

nm and u n n himun e n no De ark, R be s soo let d rsta d that peace could be made with Englan d an d the Dutch unless

u n u en the d an d the latter co ld be i d ced to op Schel t, give 88 RU ENS B . u mto n end n in fa f f f r p their clai i dep e ce ; ct, to or eit all o w t f u so l n n hich hey had o ght o g . The Spa iards were w n w to w the n n but n ot illi g, ho ever, treat ith E glish alo e, ” to ! m u n w he un a n e broil the b si ess ith ot r dert ki gs .

G b w n n n w t er ier e t to E gla d ith hese proposals . They did n ot u who d mn n ot u s it Charles , eter i ed to give p his allies .

u n m w w in m n w n n B cki gha , ho ever, rote , ti ati g a illi g ess to

n u e r an d s u co cl de a s parate t eaty to di c ss it secretly .

was n n n w was m Gerbier agai se t to Holla d, here he to eet

u en who in of n s n him R b s , , spite havi g a pa sport se t , did

fu n Z nber hen n u n ot eve . care to go rther tha g , a e tral place

m e f This gave rise to ore delay. Gerbi r re used to go to Z evenberghen ; whereupon Ruben s got le ave fromBrussels

f e w d n n a to go to Breda . He a t r ar s we t o to Rotterd man d

m u n n wa f r n m a o Ut . u A sterd , ret r i g by y echt Nothi g co ld

n me w r u n of be do e at that ti , ho eve , beca se the Ki g ’ n n e who w t was Spai s represe tativ , had po ers to trea , laid u ill on the a f me u of p at Paris ro d . A ter a ti , the ca se

n of Don a m out. the ill ess Diego Messia, at P ris, ca e

u n amhad n e f n an B cki gh e tir ly ailed, both as a politicia d as mi t man and the n of a li ary at Rochelle, Ki gs Spain an d France made a l eague for the defen ce of their m l in . R u n was u f in n en i n k gdo s be s th s oi ed his good i t t o s .

m f w e u e As to ysel , he rit s , this bad s cc ss is a great

me u n a our n en n bu t regret to , q ite co tr ry to good i t tio s , m n n c u me of n fa e in n y co scie ce a q its havi g il d, all si cerity and n u n u n e n i d stry, to e deavo r to bri g verythi g to a good ” d if n ot n wi en . , God had ordai ed other se

In of f u of n n w spite the ail re these egotiatio s , hich had te du n mn of 1627 u n u las d ri g eight o ths , R be s still kept p an n r n n w G n m occasio al cor espo de ce ith erbier, hopi g al ost n m n m m of in m agai st hope that so ethi g ight co e it ti e.

90 RU BENS .

In m n im the of who the ea t e, Earl Carlisle , had been h on n m n . a to n an d se t by C arles I e bassy Lorrai e Savoy, as for a t r n w ked a p sspor to t averse the Netherla ds, hich was given himon con dition that he did n ot go through

e m u . wa of n w and m n Br ss ls He ca e by y A t erp, , co plai

in of n ma in as n w g the exceptio de his c e alo e, as i nvited

an d an u n w nf n to the capital, had a die ce ith the I a ta . On ’ th t of Rubens s n w n u e receip a s er, Philip IV . co s lted the

un as w ff u a e an d J ta to hether his o er sho ld be ccept d , ” it was u but n agreed that it sho ld ; , added the Ki g, he is not to be urged to come ; it is for himto see whether ” it for own n m u n e u n is his i terest to ake the jo r y . R be s

n a te n n n willi gly ccep d the i vitatio to Spai . ’ The order for Ruben s s departure was given on the

4th of ul and t on 6th. n the l0th J y, despa ched the O of

u u u n w to f n u u of r c A g st, R be s rites his rie d D p y his app oa h in u an d on 13 nf n g depart re, the th the I a ta reports that he

w in few d . u n ill start a ays He passed rapidly thro gh Fra ce,

n n n of f n in s who m a seei g o e his rie ds Pari , ight h ve asked incon venien t question s ; but he did turn aside slightly from u to see e of m his ro te the gr at event the ti e, the siege of

w me s Rochelle, hich appeared to , he say , a spectacle worthy of all admiration . He arrived in Madrid in the

m. ﬁrst half of Septe ber His comin g excited much curiosity amon g the various diplomatists in that capital ; the Papal Nun cio an d the Venetian Ambassador report it to their

nmn un w n n gover e ts , able to decide hether E gla d or the

u c w u of n n D t h ere the s bjects his egotiatio s . In Brussels the In fan ta received still further communi

n fr m é a an d who a catio s o the Abb Sc glia Gerbier, p ssed through on their way to Turin ; with themcame En dymion

who n n nu u n e a Porter, the co ti ed his jo r y to M drid as the

92 RU ENS B .

n himon a mu s ! his represe ted horseb ck, ch, he say , to ’ n an d a sfa n who u was t m (the Ki g s) taste s ti ctio , tr ly ex re ely

w u an d m u mn n delighted ith the pict re to y j dg e t, this pri ce

n w the n e n w him is e do ed with obl st parts . I already k o w n min an d m ell, si ce I have a roo the palace , he co es to

w n e f see me every day . I have like ise do e the h ads o all f m fu w t mu n n n in the royal a ily care lly, i h ch co ve ie ce their

r n for mms s the nf n . n p ese ce, y i tre s I a ta He pai ted several m u f mn u and of other portraits , so e pict res ro at re, copies

n in the . He u ac all the Titia s royal galleries exec ted ,

n S eiior illaamil m n f u of cordi g to V , ore tha orty pict res

a u n w n w i v rio s ki ds besides hich, he sold the Ki g eight, h ch

u h f m n w . but it he had bro g t ro A t erp The story is told,

mon u fu u u n of B a nz see s do bt l a thority, that D ke Joh r ga a,

who ft w m n n . of u a er ards beca e Ki g Joh IV Port gal ,

n him u n n n s . i vited to Villavicio a R be s accepted the i vitatio , and started with a large retinue of Spanish and Flemish n an n n u was f t n obles d atte da ts . The D ke righ e ed at the num an d m off n n n w r to ber, ade to Lisbo , se di g o d the

n t ff of u n e w pai er that a airs State req ired his prese c else here, and forwarding hima purse of ﬁfty pistoles to defray the x ns to w ut him u n e pe es hich he had p . R be s received the m an d e u n u n was essage r t r ed the p rse, sayi g that he sorry to lose the opportun ity of sal utin g the prin ce ; but as for mn n ot w s to an ns himand o ey, he did i h be expe e to , had u bro ght a thousan d pistoles to defray his n ecessities .

n V an se t mu r bu A other story, told by Has l , st be att i ted

i too all. n to this period, f it is to be believed at Overtake n u n in mn in u h by ight, R be s took shelter a o astery, the ch rc of which he was greatly struck the n ext morning by a u u w u n o nf m i n pict re abo t hich he co ld get i or at o . The mn we n w en he s e n m of the o ks re sile t h a k d the a e artist, 93 AS A DI PLOMATI ST.

an d at len gth one of themsaid that the painter was dead

— h m mn u n u to the world e had beco e a o k . R be s la ghed at this an d said he was too good to be 108 t— he must be brought - out fromhis hidin g place an d shown to the world . The mn f l fa n n an d n ft was X o k e l i ti g, died soo a er . He avier

n the n e of u . Colla tes , pai t r the pict re Early in 1629 the Abbé Scaglia came to Spain as E nvoy f m uk of was m n x u n o the ro the D e Savoy. He ost a io s , w

n n u n ot ﬁn d Fre ch had take Rochelle, that they sho ld the

of ur di i an d s m u rest E ope v ded, so ea y a prey to the co se quen tly he urged upon Olivares an un derstan ding with ’ En n n m i . I t n n n gla d addi io to this ca e, April , Westo s

tc m w m m n n despa h to Colo a, hich ade it ore appare t tha ever that if the Kin g of Spain would sen d an E n voy to

n n a w u a an m d Lo do , Ch rles o ld desp tch A bassador to Madri .

mm n t u n Olivares determin ed to give this co issio o R be s . n w n w was in The pai ter had hoped, he his ork over Madrid, to w had n butw visit Italy, hither he greatly lo ged to go, ith

out a n he ft it u n in 1609. vail , si ce le so s dde ly He had the ’ nf n e m n an d e mn v f n I a ta s p r issio , had det r i ed to isit his rie d

Peiresc in n n n n d a n ut Prove ce o the way. A e w s ow p to all u n this . R be s was n ominated secretary of the Privy

un of e e nds on the 27th of 1629 an d Co cil the N th rla April , , on the 29th he left M adrid with full in struction s for

n n Lo do . R I CHAPTE VI I .

IN ENGLAND.

1629 AND 1630.

UR n w the u m ENS traversed Fra ce ith t ost celerity,

an a as at journeying night d d y. He w Paris on the

and in u on m n n th of of 13th . lo May, Br ssels the or i g the Having heard in the mean time of a peace between Englan d

n d n n on 24th of nf n u a Fra ce, sig ed the April, the I a ta h rried himon so mto u an d , that he had scarcely ti e visit his ho se to

e his n w m ft un f se childre , ho he had le der the care o his u n old frien d Gevaerts. R be s was at D unkirk by the 28th

a h l was n o n u u on of M y. C ar es less a xio s to h rry the n n and w w own n in egotiatio s, rote ith his ha d to the capta of who was n himfr m un in the vessel to co vey o D kirk, structin himif was an l not to w for g , there y de ay, ait the a u n m w m was M rq is de Ville, the Fre ch A bassador, ho he

r n n n but f man was to ca ry across the co ti e t, to etch the he

r m . The n of n was r to eet there perso the E voy , too, ve y a who an n agreeable to Ch rles, had exte sive collection of

u s an d who n in of mn pict re , , eve his greatest lack o ey for

c u n u th publi p rposes, had lately co trived to b y e Duke of ’ n u m n of tu and u Ma t a s re arkable collectio sta es pict res ,

w u n n w so w . w hi hich R be s k e ell The latter, ith s brother in-law n n who was co- , He ry Bra dt, secretary with Gevaerts

I N ENG LAND . 95

un l of n w I n on n on 5th of to the Co ci A t erp , arrived L do the

un and a u of e who n J e , st yed at the ho se Gerbi r, had bee

e n m himhis u an d who as order d by the Ki g to ake g est, w At afterwards paid all his expenses . a later period (durin g e a r n G n w the Prot ctor te), Gerbie lived at Beth al ree , here he Open ed a lecture hall but we can hardly suppose that at

m i so far f m u an d in outo this ti e he l ved ro the Co rt, a place f town as t n n was. On 6th u n had an in , his gree the the R be s terview w h nw w w it Charles at Gree ich, here he sho ed his ’ n n w an d w himhow crede tials , heard the Ki g s vie s , sho ed it was impossible for Spain to make any premises about

a n u she but m n u n e the P lati ate, beca se had s all i ﬂ e c with

m in w n the m n the E peror, hose ha ds atter lay. Charles se t

u en e n w mhe s m and R b s to W sto , ho vi ited the sa e day, w w m saw n Cottin ton n ith ho he Sir Fra cis g , the Cha cellor

of Ex u an d fu u n n. the cheq er, the t re E voy to Spai To these he delivered the letters with which he had been charged by

l a of e t nn in O iv res . The Earl Carlisl gave a S ate di er his

n m of n an d n ho our . The A bassadors Ve ice Holla d tried ’ what they could to coun teract the effect of Rubens s pro osals but u n w n an d n v w p he had a die ces ith the Ki g, i ter ie s w -n m nis who w t of ith the above a ed Mi ters , , i h the Earl m w n n w him Pe broke, ere appoi ted to egotiate ith . These

u n in s a die ces he describes de patches to Olivares . On on e of u n n w u n n w his jo r eys to Gree ich, R be s arro ly ’ e n . z z u of Sa escap d a co siderable peril Baro i, the D ke voy s

e t was n u n n w n s cre ary, co d cti g his chaplai to the palace, he , in t n n n n Shoo i g Lo do Bridge, a very da gerous process in

of ru tu was u the days the old st c re, the boat pset by the movement of one of the passengers the chaplain was d wn an d z z was n u out u ro ed, Baro i o ly p lled by his sp r as was in wn m he go g do the third ti e . 96 RU BENS .

i n i ult s Whilst n Lo don Ruben s had an other d ﬂic y. His mo t a n of in own Catholic M jesty, the ster represser all heresy his dominion s was w n n u to en u e m , illi g e o gh co rage heresy, a co

anied e n w mi F n p by r bellio , hich ght serve to harass the re ch

nmn an d was f n n u z gover e t, there ore co te t to s bsidi e the

u u n For i u s u H g e ots . th s p rpo e R ben s received bills of ex n w he was u of cha ge, hich to give to So bise, the brother

u de n u u n d the D ke Roha , the great H g e ot lea er, provided the Kin g of Englan d would give the latter an opportunity

Of n hime f w t men an d nf n providi g s l i h ships . The I a ta

u not who u con Isabella co ld believe that Charles , had j st

u t w u X . u mm cl ded a reaty ith Lo is III , co ld i ediately assist

ain we S he m use of l of rebels ag st his po r, so ade these bil s

x n for the n s of war in n s e cha ge eces ities the the Netherla d .

But she n ot n w . u who was in Lon did k o Charles So bise,

don f m é c u n s , heard ro the Abb S aglia that R be s had thi mn for himan d u not un n how was he o ey , co ld dersta d it

n ot u n w n to did receive it . R be s rote ear estly to Olivares

a l Of n n w s n ot me h ve the bi ls excha ge re e ed . The e did co

for m me an d w en u X so e ti , h they did arrive Lo is III . had

n u w his s n n u e co cl ded a peace ith di co te ted s bj cts . The despatches that Rubens wrote to Madrid excited so

mu n w n e n an ch i terest there, that they ere tra slat d i to Sp ish

u u w t in a n an d n enn w (he s ally ro e It lia ), se t to Vi a, here f un s n a fﬁ u n w s o e . they are still to be o d . His po itio a di c lt

u n ot n u r but Philip co ld gra t all that Charles req i ed , he did not wish the n egotiation s to be broken off so Ruben s n n t had to use his utmost prude ce . At le g h the Ambassador

in t n t t as r on . Cott o was o o an d w ag eed g go Madrid,

n Coloma was to come to Lon don . The Fre ch Ambassador

arrived on the 5th of July . Ruben s was afraid that his mn w u m ff n in m and co i g o ld ake a di ere ce the ter s , per

RU EN B S .

’ t n and to of Selden s n w e of n u io , Speak k o ledg a tiq ities , an d regrets his (as he thin ks) mistaken devotion to

politics .

n s Ruben s won the hearts of all in Lon don . The Mi i ters write most favourably of himto Madrid ; the Kin g was de lighted with him the report given of himby the Span ish Ambassador in Paris is most ﬂattering whilst the Junta

of . On 17 of u u highly approved his despatches the th A g st, Ruben s learn t that Coloma was deﬁnitely appointed Am

r x t f a mm e bassado E traordin ary o treat or pe ce . He i ediat ly

w n who was n d n f mhim e t to Charles, at Whitela s, to i or .

In m n m m of n n and the ea ti e , the A bassadors Fra ce, Holla d , Venice did their best to prevent the departure of Cottin g

ton an d n u n u n n . , to i d ce Charles to joi the leag e agai st Spai

n u n who was Their proceedi gs were betrayed to R be s, also able to in formhis Court of the French in trigues in Northern

a an d of z n of u . z z w w m It ly, the sei i g S sa Baro i, ith ho he had lived on most in timate terms since he had been in

n n in a t t of of c un E gla d, the l ered s ate the politics his o try, was n n w him e ow . u of recalled R be s, ho ever, gave lett rs

mmn n nf n but fu n f reco e datio to the I a ta, he re sed to i ter ere

fu t or é . r her, to assist the Abb Scaglia

u n s au umn in n of m of D ri g thi t , the i terval so e those

en n a n u n u n e m e l gthy egoti tio s, R be s jo r ey d to Ca bridg , w was n of Un s here he received by the Cha cellor the iver ity , n and w -in -law H n n Lord Holla d, ith his brother , e ry Bra dt, an d m s n u n mn was m so e di ti g ished Fre ch e , he ad itted to f en the honorary degree of Master o Arts . At the d of ’ n was e u to n Cottin ton s com October, the Ki g p rs aded Sig g ms n and set off f u ft w . But n now i sio , he o r days a er ards eve u u u n an other hitch occ rred . The D tch had j st take Wesel, and Philip was anxious to retain Coloma in the Nether I N ENGLAND .

n s mmn f e. w the la d , to co a d the orces ther He rote to Infan ta to send some one else who would be agre eable to

n n not n w n the u of the E glish . Westo , k o i g ca se the delay,

was furi u and w n to Cottin ton n ot o s , orders ere se t g to present his credentials until he heard that the Spanish m a in n n nw u A bassador w s Lo do . Mea hile Philip tho ght he u n w m an d n for him co ld dispe se ith Colo a, se t orders to but u m 7th n ua 1 proceed ; vario s delays ade it the Ja ry, 630,

ef w n n b ore he arrived at Dover, hither He ry Bra dt had

en h himon 26th me n be despatc ed to receive the Dece b r. O the 1lth he made his public en try ; and on the 15th had ﬁ u n hi his rst a die ce at W tehall.

u n who m m f n R be s , had so e ti e be ore obtai ed leave to de on of m now part the arrival the A bassador, hoped to get

‘ w but was n mfor six w n a ay ; he detai ed by Colo a eeks lo ger .

I n l of was rin set out and the ear y days March he prepa g to , n an d u went to take leave of the Ki g Q een . On the 3rd of n n him and March, the Ki g k ighted at Whitehall, at the same time presented himwith the sword with which he ac w a mn n had received the colade, together ith dia o d ri g,

n and n for his bat an u mn n t a gold chai , a ba d ; a g e tatio o

mof lien on n n u was n e his ar s a or a ca to g les also gra t d . f n n n 6th of n He le t Lo do o the March, havi g at the last

mmn un oachimi u n e o e t tried to so d J , the D tch Mi ist r, on f n e n w the disposition o the U it d Provi cmes to ards a truce or t w n u . n . no O n peace He did , ho ever, lear ch reachi g n two f u f m the Netherla ds, he received avo rs ro the I n fanta as a testimo ny of her approval of his z eal and suc n ﬁ of h c ess . He was allowed to have the be e ts is appoin t ment as secretary of the Privy Coun cil without executin g u an f e and the d ties d be or he took the oath, the reversion of is fﬁ was an e his e son T th o ce gr t d to lder , Albert . he ' EN RUB S .

nf n her t n u n u to I a ta had already, by ac ive i ﬂ e ce, sec red himthe a mn of ﬂ orin s due for p y e t , the eight pic

i u f hi w n tures which Ph lip IV . had bo ght o m he he was in

Madrid . Durin g the time of his sojourn in En glan d Ruben s

a n u . One n e win n p i ted several pict res , the Natio al Gallery, was on the subject then n earest to his heart as a diploma ’ tist ea and . was ft w . an d , P ce War This le ith Charles I ’ on is n of in u f un its wa the d persio the K g s pict res, it o d y t a w m n in n of o It ly, here it re ai ed the ha ds the Doria f m n un nnin of n u a ily at Ge oa til the begi g this ce t ry.

n n u an d n u to n n Bei g the p rchased, agai bro ght E gla d, it was after a time presented -by the Marquis of Stef n n ford to the Natio al Collectio . No doubt in this case ’ Rubene s indulgence in allegory led to many an expla n of u an d u n of l n atio the s bject, a disc ssio the po itical

u n . u n n . . q estio R be s also pai ted Charles I as St George, w nri a a Cleolin de w w of i ith He ett Mari as , ith a vie R ch mond in the distance ; but the allegory in this case was not

. u n ow n n n happy This pict re is at Wi dsor, havi g bee u f m ns n . bo ght by George IV . ro the Orlea collectio

n mm n t now was A other co issio tha he received, to decorate

n of n u n n the ceili g the Ba q eti g Hall at Whitehall , the o ly ’ f n ones s m n ﬁ n n t was com part o I igo J ag i ce t desig tha m let d. Th u n as f I ! p e e s bject chose w the apotheosis o Ja es . One would fancy that even the imagination of a Ruben s

u f u n would q ail be ore s ch a porten tous e deavour . He had en n to w m m f but be desig ated do this ork so e ti e be ore, probably the matter was n ot ﬁn ally settled until his arrival in n n h u u w m on E gla d . The sketc es as s al ere ade the spot by his own han d ; some of these are new in En g n and m u m la d so e at St . Petersburg . The pict res the selves

FRES H DIPLOMAOY . 101

w m and a f u u 1634 but it ere co pleted p cked be ore A g st, , appears they were not forwarded for more than a year

n w n to w to mn and he lo ger, o i g a delay ith regard o ey, t un wi l n n of a m u m- u l i g ess Ch rles to pay so e c sto house d ties . Before they started Rubens had themopened to retouch an d mend the cracks caused by their being rolled up al ” m a w ﬁ n r in n n in ost hole year . They ally a rived Lo do

1635 mn w m n mn an d October, . The pay e ts ere ade by i stal e ts , it was not un til the sprin g of 1638 that the whole amoun t

of had been paid for them. Ruben s had originally inten ded to go to E nglan d to put u in l but u these pict res their p aces, he gave p the idea, w n ow f u n f rin u him. ea g the go t, hich req e tly oppressed min in m n but They have re a ed the sa e spot ever si ce, not m ’ I n II . s m in the same condition . Ja es ti e they were re

and n on and m n stored pai ted , the sa e process has bee re

a e a w n so not mu mn t pe t d at le st t ice si ce , that ch re ai s o S how us what they were like when they left the studio of

the pain ter. How Ruben s was employed during the remain der of t In the year 1630 we know n o . September he lost his ’ u of n of w m frien d the Marq is Spi ola, ho he says, J ai perdu en sa personne un des plus gran s amys et patrons

’ que j avoys du monde comme je puis tesmoign er par une ” d mof c en turie e cette lettres . So e his earlier biographers u n dr but of in terpose an other jo r ey to Ma id, this there are

and it n ot m l u n o recor ds, does see probab e that it co ld have i occurred without leaving some sign n the numerous docu end of mn n ms. on e ts relati g to this ti At the the year, the

me in f n of v n 6th of Dece b r, the orbidde period Ad e t, the widower of ﬁfty-three married again ! this time a girl of ’ n Fourment u ht of f m w f sixteen , Hele a , the da g er his or er i e s RU BENS .

’ s ste was v u iful a n Rubens s i r. She ery bea t , ccordi g to n i n of u and was n r u himn feat ot o s bea ty, i t od ced by i to a g f number o his pictures . ’ n h f n f u s I t e ollowi g year he served as dean o St. L ke

ui andon his i n an d mmen n of g ld, pet tio , at the reco datio the S upreme Coun cil for Flanders at Madrid (who quoted the n of n n t nf on him precede t Titia ) , the k igh hood co erred by

. was n ﬁ his o n nmn Charles I co rmed by w gover e t . Fresh complications in the Court of France soon gave fu m mn th n - i m s n rther e ploy e t to e pai ter d plo ati t . Whe ’ Maria de Medici ﬂed fromthe power of Richelieu in to the Span ish Netherlands she appointed the Marquis de la Vieuville to confer with the representative of the Infan ta w r to ff an d in ns u n of ith rega d her a airs, co eq e ce his pre vious n im e n w of the u n u n was a i t at k o ledge Q ee , R be s p pointed by the Infan ta to hold commun ication s with the ’ u n n u n n n Q ee s representative. The co seq e t egotiatio s must h e n himm mn for mn mn av give e ploy e t a y o ths .

ft h in 1632 u n was n u for t A er t is, April, , R be s a xio s res , nd f a n to u n n m a he there ore obt i ed leave ret r to his ow ho e .

n ot w mn n un m for He did , ho ever, re ai lo g e ployed, the su of n n of n a m ccesses Frederick He ry, Pri ce Ora ge, al r ed the nf n and in u u u n was n n a I a ta, A g st R be s agai se t to Li ge, to see if u not n m In was nu. he co ld obtai ter s . this he su fu but n nu w th n a n ccess l, he co ti ed to atch e egoti tio s , but we do not hear of his doing much in the matter after

f n m n u n an . n o n d war this The co ere ces ca e to co cl sio , the continued .

104 R ENS UB .

Vilvorde an d Mechlin . Here he spen t much time (he talks Of having been there for some mon ths) ! an d here he pain ted m n for we ate u n a f m any la dscapes , have the ch a deli e ted ro m e u n any points of view. At this p riod too the go t bega to attack himmore frequently and with greater violen ce in n in was e use m - a his pai t g he oblig d to a ahl stick ,

n he had ne e n f an d n ﬁn m f thi g v r do e be ore, to co e hi sel - almost entirely to easel pictures .

n ow n n for Philip IV. had to appoi t a gover or the Nether

n an d n u n u own la ds , at rally e o gh he chose his brother,

a n n f n n n who was n n . the C rdi al I a ta Ferdi a d, the at Mila

f n n of new ne Be ore taki g possessio his post, the latter joi d

n of un in mn and t m n the Ki g H gary Ger a y , heir co bi ed

un r n n t a w an d troops , der Fe di a d, a t cked the S edes their

NOrdlin en f m allies at g . The victory ell to the I perialists,

° an d the Cardinal Infanta was en abled to march on with h his troops through Germany to t e Netherlands . Thus

n u nmn w t he e tered pon his gover e t covered i h glory . A

t m ft in 1635 n mt shor ti e a er his arrival May, , he i ti a ed

n n n of mn n w r e mn n his i te tio co i g to A t e p . Thes sole e tries had always been made opportun ities for great rejoicin g an d f an e estivity . When Albert d Isabella had mad a similar

nn n of nmn V an n progress at the begi i g their gover e t, Vee n n u n n n had bee e tr sted to desig the decoratio s . I those n mn m f . ow days there had bee a y artists to choose ro N ,

n w one z n mn n n all A t erp possessed citi e , e i e t beyo d others . e u u n n of u n u Sir P ter Pa l R be s, a pai ter E ropea rep ta

n m u and n mn tio , a diplo atist, a co rtier, a ge tle a , recog n iz ed an d ew u of u r arded at the Co rts Madrid, Br ssels,

n n an d was of u n on m Lo do , Paris , co rse the perso who

dut u l n such a y mst devo ve . He chose his frie ds Gevaerts and Rock ox himand w set to assist , ith their help he to

106 R E UB NS .

a d and n w n a ple sed at this or er, proposed (probably k o i g th t ’ u was for St u n the pict re . Peter s ch rch) to represe t the cru ci xi n f e w f u an ﬁ o o . w un St P ter ith his eet p ards, Opport ity

' r m mn fo e . amr aﬂ a r arkable treat e t He adds, I g eatly ec tioned to of o n for was u u the city C log e, I bro ght p there un til the tenth year of my life (not quite a directstatement was n but n en u ms t that he bor there, ear o gh to i lead hose who n o nf rm n u e n The had i o atio abo t the Si ge episode) .

u was n e w an n r u n pict re pai t d slo ly dat i te vals , d ri g the last ’ of the n f ﬁ f r years pai ter s li e . At rst he asked o a year and

f but u e was not ﬁn s en d of a hal , the pict r i hed at the that

e d for w n it was in u p rio , he he died still his st dio . It is,

w one of m and m ho ever, his asterpieces, a re arkable in

stan of w rfu n e n . who is ce his po e l co c ptio The apostle,

n n u un six u n bei g ailed to the cross , is s rro ded by exec tio ers ,

n an d n n of n n u n the physical pai diste sio the vei s, co seq e t

on unn u n n n n a . the at ral positio , bei g stro gly deli e ted The w l on n e ne for it ork is stil the site origi ally d sig d at St. ’ u h l n . u n was n o n Peter s ch rc , Co og e R be s lo ger able to

u rin n n an d n of u u s pe te d the placi g lighti g his pict res, abo t which he had shown himself so an xious in his earlier

m an d he was un to see f was days at Ro e, able this a ter it

ﬁxed . The last in formation we have about the great actor n ew ’ u f m w a n l n abo t to retire ro this orld s st ge is a ki d y ote, w n n u f n an d u ritte to co grat late his rie d p pil, the ivory ’ u on m on 1st carver, L cas Faid herbe , his arriage , the May, ” - u n u m 1640. On o a n May day y have pla ted yo r y. O

he 1st of mmn w t n f m u t 3 the sa e o th, Gerbier, ri i g ro Br s lr S u n ! Phisitian s sels, says , Peter R be s is deadly sick The of this Town e (Brussels) bein g sen t unto himfor to trye ” n him t o . was n heir best skill He already dead, havi g 7 LAST YEARS . 10

f I n s of t departed this life the day be ore . a po tscript a let er f th m n n o e sa e date to Ki g Charles , Gerbier says , Si ce I r ﬁnisht e n w mof S u n . this lett r, e es is co e Pieter R be s death ” Man y ﬁne things wilbe souldin his Almon eda (public sale) ! n w n w ran f mmu mu Eu I n A t erp the e s ro o th to o th , ” e i on e mu n as fr n man b ns s dead. Every o r ed a ie d the who had been its greatest citiz en . The Chamber of Rhe of on e of r u of n w toric the Violet, the litera y cl bs A t erp

u f . u n w r s the g ild o St L ke, the associatio to hich all a tist of every kin d belon ged ; the more select society of the R mn m n of u u m o a ists ; the Co pa y Arq eb siers, all asse bled mm fun to pay their last respects to their late e ber. The e

was u mof m a at n ral, as the c sto the ti e, took pl ce ight. It was attended by all the prin cipal people of Antwerp

m r the r u u ns the agist ates , va io s religio s orders, sixty orpha

carr in a -n m and w each y g light, the above a ed societies , a cro d of n emn m n an d z n was tem obl e , ercha ts, citi e s . The body

oraril e in u of Fourment f m p y plac d the va lt the a ily . It was ft w r m d on 4th of 1642 a er a ds re ove , the March, , to a u l ut f m f r special chapel b i t o ro the church o St . James fo

n its receptio . The accoun ts of the expen ses of the funeral are interest in f m w u n of g, ro the light they thro po the habits the ’ n n in rachter times . They are give at le gth V e s Tom

u m u e ﬁn d h beau de R ben s . Fro this so rce w that t e ! ” family din ed together at the Arms of Fra nce ; the magis ! trates an d their ofﬁcers at the Hotel de Ville ; the ! ’ mn u d Or n of Ro a ists at the Fle r ; the corporatio s St.

u an d -f u in n um ! L ke the Violet, thirty o r ber, at the Stag . mw u t u u nn an d Al s ere distrib ted hro gh vario s cha els , large ’ m n e su s were devoted to masses . The pai t r s wardrobe sold

for ﬂ orin s 1 sol. 8 10 RUBENS .

A catalogue was made Of all the works of art in his

e n It was w t of a. r n n of coll ctio . or hy rather p i ce tha a

r man n for u an n mu sum p ivate , selli g abo t e or o s , considerin g the difference in the value of money .

f n of c &c . w He le t his large collectio sket hes , , to hich e of n m m an or f l n ver his so s ight beco e artist, , ai i g that, h m n ne of to the daughter w o ight marry a artist . Not o n the children fulﬁlled the con ditio .

His wi w ft w r m r n Ba Broechoven do a er a ds ar ied Joh ptist ,

n van Ber e ck who was m a in n n in Baro g y , A bass dor E gla d ’ n mn II . s n and was . Charles reig , k ighted by that o arch ’ ’ Ruben s s eldest son succeeded to his father s ofﬁce as ’ un and n te his f secretary to the Privy Co cil, i heri d ather s

as for n u . was d n u but t te a tiq ities He a isti g ished scholar, of u t s n an d m m f no n m n a q ie di positio , ade hi sel a e beyo d

u n that attached to some antiquarian disq isitio . He died at an early age . An inscription was written for his tomb by his friend

t but was not ut u un l m n n u Gevaer s , p p ti ore tha a ce t ry - ft wa w n n n u ﬁ n . a er rds, he a great gra dso s pplied the de cie cy In the year 1840 a monument was erected to his memory in one of u u in n w an d in 1877 the p blic sq ares A t erp ; , , a mmri f was in m wn w n r e e o al estival held the sa e to , he a la g c n of u n s and relies was b t in ollectio pict res, pri t , exhi i ed

f mu n u n u the a o s Pla tin p blishi g ho se .

It is impossible in the space that remai ns to us to attempt ’ a mv n of Rubens s ff n detailed criticis e e di ere t styles . This

n one is u is perhaps the less ecessary, as every s re to have formed his own estimate according to the ben t of his

h u the n f his min d. Those w o val e tech icalities o art can

110 U EN R B S .

un n w r n a u we ro di gs these ere, p i cip lly, either s ch as allo d

of n u n of num u ﬁ u an dw u the i trod ctio ero s g res , ere s sceptible of n m n ﬁ n in mn u co siderable ag i ce ce the treat e t, s ch as the ” ” n of an d of and Adoratio the Magi, the Shepherds, the various scen es conn ected with the death of Christ ; or they were those which required the delineation of the ! ’ ” ” n a n d u s or ! u n n stro ger p ssio s , as Lot s a ghter S sa a.

was es f n of n n n m He pecially o d pai ti g the Virgi , ostly with and f n w n n u the Child , O te ith atte da t cher bs, which latter he eviden tly painted very lovingly ; but the main ﬁgure usually represents a fat woman with n o particular reﬁne

n r n of me t o elevatio character. His saints are mostly d n m ﬁ u and— but a ecorative, gra d, assive g res, th t they have their distin ctive emblems— might easily be inte rchan ged in many cases there is n o expression of coun ten an ce which

! own a n n tells its t le, or co veys a lesso to the beholder . His legen dary pictures are especially in dicative of his ton e of mind— they delin eate some impossible story with the

ms u no diﬂiculties fte n wn cal e t partic larity ; are so ed do , no u m n n n m sa in spirit al ea i g i dicated ; they see to y, its

m m n n the d e u si plest ea i g, para ox I believe, b ca se it is ” m His and u i possible . allegorical historical pict res are not nearly so realistic as his legendary ; they show im mn m n n and mun of n n e se i agi atio a very large a o t lear i g, in a n u w u especially cl ssical a tiq ities . Probably it o ld be f un on e w l - uain w n u m o d by e l acq ted ith the a tiq e ge s , that his ideas were inﬂuenced by those works of which he was u and t n a great connoisse r collec or . Ge re painting he seems

n n u n u to w o ly to have take p occasio ally, j st sho that he could excel in this as in other branches . He has pain ted

m w mu i of mn u n andas a Ker esse ith as ch del cacy a ip latio , much coarseness of feeling as is shown in anything that LE HAPEAU DE P IL C O .

” H et Spamsch H oedje The Spanish

Fromthe ain tin b Ruben! in the N ati al all r p g y on G e y .

112 R E UB NS .

v n s and a his u w u not f ar i hes , th t pict res o ld last . O the latter o n w e u . u un p i t are the better j dges He sed light gro ds, almost if not quite white ; his outlines were drawn with a u in u often redfor an d n n br sh colo r( the ﬂesh) , very tra spare t az e w w n gl s ere laid over all the shado s , the lights bei g m m not w n so eti es, al ays , pai ted thicker . He exposed his

u to sun for of m w n pict res the short spaces ti e , bet ee the in n out pa ti gs, to dry the oil. They received several coats

of u and n ﬁn ut in n u mcolo r, the ally he p the stro ger to ches f n n ow . w hi sel , the light o es thick All his works , ho ever,

not mto n n in wa but mn do see have bee do e this y, a y have s n n f m ﬁ olid pai ti g ro the rst . It was his habit to make a sketch in colours on a small scale ﬁrs t; this was handed to a pupil or assistan t to be ut on an d f w u u l exec ed a larger scale, carried or ard, s a ly ’ un m m u t u n der the aster s eye, al ost p to the last s age ; R be s

m f m m in f n an d m n n n hi sel so eti es ter eri g, aki g cha ges eve in n ﬁ u in of u . the positio the g res , d r g the progress n l w n w n own m Fi al y he e t over the hole, leavi g his i press u n po the work . The great stren gth of Ruben s lay in his exuberan t a in ation n of n m f e n n w g , his se se a i al li e, his xte sive k o of n u an dof w d an dhis mmn n ledge a tiq ity the orl , i e se tech ical ‘ w n was f u of m w ability . His eak ess a ail re dra atic po er, u f u an d a want of perception of Spirit al li e . He co ld imagine any number of differen t ways in which an even t could take place ; he could place his ﬁgures in differen t i n mw an of um and pos tio s , clothe the ith y variety cost e, introduce mythological an d religious emblems and perso but u n z in n wa im nages, he co ld o ly reali e a ge eral y the pression s that in dividual feelin gs would produce ; delicate s of f n w u u n himan d n n u hades eeli g o ld be lost po , i co gr ities

U 114 R BENS .

f n an new w in w un i the ro t r k, as a po er the orld, the co tr es

n u ens was ar eacellen ce h to which they belo ged . R b p t e painter of the group that included the heroes of the Dutch

u and man of n m i w Rep blic ! , like y his co te porar es , hilst

in in his own n was in t l excell g li e, he , o her respects a so,

m an mn mn man in of d e . a great , a ti e a o g great CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF

RUBENS .

ie n in W t halia 5 . Born at S e es 1 7 7 g p . h Bathe an 158 7 . Death of is , J Rubens

Educ-ted at the es uits! Colle e An twer J g , p Bea ms a pupil of Tobias Verhaeght Ente red the studio of Adamvan Noort

15 96 .

1 Admitted to the Guild of S n Luke 59 9 .

1 0 ourne ed to Ital 6 0. J y y A ttached to the household of the Duke ofMantua

1603 . Returned to Italy Death of his Mother 1608 . Re turned to An twerp Married Isabella Brandt 1609 .

Enrolled in the Guild of the Romanists

Departed for Madrid

His my in England

1630 Kni hted b Charles I. . g y Married his second wife Helena Fourmen , t His Death and Burial 1640. BIBLIOGRAPHY .

(The following are a few of the most useful and trustworthy books on rks RUBENS and his wo . )

et HawiEli v n illem mma s Bu mmz nn VAN DER . H a BRINK R. Co , l W

n me Anna v n Saxen Amsterdam1 5 3 . n a e t a . 8 va Or j , n i H 1 Rube s aS e en . IA a s 1 6 Les g y , 8 . HARD M Histoire Poli i ue omati ue de Pierre-Paul GA . t et C , q l q s B uxel e Ruben . r l s, 18 77. e E A HE ‘ ‘ GAC HET E. Lettres in dit de P P. Rubens ublié s ar . G C I . , é . , p p x ll 40 Bru e es, 18 . E - xxu n 66 GAZETTE DES B AUX ART Vols. xx . . a d xxxv 18 S , , , ,

1 1 icl M B BC HBT aris. 8 67 68 . Art es ar . Amunn A . P , 8 p

H EL u ens Brux ll 18 40. ASS T, A . C . vAN. Histoire de P. P. R b . e es, n Kuns und Kiinstler LEM KE Dr ARL. P r P l u ns I t O , . C ete au R be . ;

edited b Dr ROBERT DOBI E Lei z i 18 6 . . 7 y . p g, L M Rubens B uxelles M F . to ICHE . . His ire de la Vie de P. P. . r , J ,

177 1. ’ ’ L d vers. aris MI E S os. AL r lEoole An CHI , J nEn XAVI ER . Rubens ct P

De et St. nis, 18 5 4 . E F ENBE B erch sur Pierre- aul R I F RG, ARON. Nouvelles rech es P

Rubens contenant nu Vie inédite de ce rand eintre Vita. Petri , g p ( Pauli Rubeini ar PHILI PP E RUBENS son neven avec des notes ), p , , , B ll 18 3 &c. ruxe es, 5 .

SAINSBURY N016.L Ori inal un ublished Pa ers illustrative of , W . . g p p h l f f R ns ndon 1 t e ie o ube Lo 5 . . , 8 9 ’ HNEEV OGT a l d Estame r v da rés SC O C . G . C ta o ue es s a ées , V. g p g p u s H l m 3 P. P. R ben . ar e , 18 7 . MITH OEN A atalo ue Rai n f h orks of the most emi S J . C so né o t e . g W nent Dutch Flemish andFrench Painte rs with a ce ious descri tion , , ; p p rinci al ic mnt v vo of their tures &c . ith a su le e . 9 ols. 8 . p p p , W pp don l82 Lon , 9 VERACHTER FBEDERI O Gé néalo ie de P P Rubens et de en , . g . .

Famille. Anvers 1 4 0 , 8 . mbeau de R ns A nv Le To ube . ers, 18 43 .

MIL . Ru n h l M 18 4 . VILLAA G. C be s. Di limatico Es a o . adrid 7 , p p ,

AAGEN DE . G usn v FREDERI C K . Peter Paul Rubens. Trans W , NO M Lon n 40 l R R. do 18 . ated b . EL edited b us u tEson . y ; y . J ,

In this exhaustive ca l ue Mr Smith mentions no less than 178 9 ta og . me R t i bl li in thi lu . works by ubens. I s impossi e to give such a st s vo