Publisher's Synopsis
Rubens and his Spanish Patrons examines an important and neglected aspect of the most internationally-renowned artist of the seventeenth century. As a native of the Spanish Netherlands, Rubens found an audience among Spanish aristocratic and royal collectors, including the archduke and duchess Albert and Isabella, and Philip IV, the Spanish king for whom Rubens worked as both artist and diplomat. Focusing on the artist's production for his Spanish patrons and his visits to Spain, this study also examines the presence of Rubens' works and their reception, as well as the artistic environment, in that country during the seventeenth century.
