1577–1640

Peter Paul Rubens

Peter Paul Rubens was born in Siegen and raised in Antwerp. After eight years in Italy he returned to Antwerp in 1608 and ran a large, productive workshop. His dynamic altarpieces, mythologies and portraits defined the Flemish Baroque, and he worked for courts across Europe, including the Medici cycle for Marie de' Medici. He was also a diplomat, knighted by both Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England. He died in Antwerp in 1640.