Peter Paul Rubens's Birthday
Next: June 28, 2027
Life, painted to the full.
The story
Where it comes from
Peter Paul Rubens was born on 28 June 1577 in Siegen, Germany, where his parents were living in exile, and this Story marks his birthday. After his father's death the family returned to Antwerp, and in 1598 Rubens joined the city's guild of painters. Eight years in Italy shaped his bold, energetic style. Back in Antwerp he became court painter to the rulers of the Southern Netherlands and ran the most famous painter's studio in Europe. He was also a diplomat who helped negotiate peace between Spain and England.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal observance, but his birthday is a good day to look closely at his work. In Antwerp, the house he turned into an Italian-style palazzo from 1610 is now the Rubenshuis museum, and his altarpieces still hang in the city's Cathedral of Our Lady. In London, his ceiling paintings for the Banqueting House remain in the place they were made for. Look for the small details: Rubens filled his pictures with symbols.
Did you know
- Around 1617 Rubens drew a man in Korean dress; the drawing, now in the Getty Museum, appears to be the earliest depiction of Korean costume by a Western artist.
- He was the only painter knighted by the kings of both England and Spain.
- A visitor once watched him paint while listening to Tacitus read aloud in Latin and dictating a letter, all at the same time.
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