Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

150 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

Antwerp: Rubenshuis

Located on Wapper Square, Rubenshuis was
Pieter Paul Rubens’s home and studio for the
last 29 years of his life, from 1611 to 1640.
The city bought the premises just before
World War II, but by then the house was
little more than a ruin, and what can be
seen today is the result of careful restora-
tion. It is divided into two sections. To the
left of the entrance are the narrow rooms
of the artist’s living quarters, equipped
with period furniture. Behind this is the
Kunstkamer, or art gallery, where Rubens
exhibited both his own and other artists’ work,
and entertained his friends and patrons such as the
Archduke Albert and Infanta Isabella. To the right
of the entrance lies the main studio, a spacious salon
where Rubens created – and showed – his works. A
signposted route guides visitors through the house.

Façade of Rubenshuis

The older Flemish part of the

house sits to the left of the later

section, whose elegant early-

Baroque exterior was designed

by Rubens himself.

. Rubens’s Studio
It is estimated that Rubens produced some 2,500
paintings in this large, high-ceilinged room. In
the Renaissance manner, Rubens designed the
work, which was usually completed by a team of
other artists employed in his studio.

Pavilion and Garden
Rubens was greatly influ enced by
Italian Renaissance architects such
as Alberti. In the 1620s, he added
an Italian Baroque pavilion to his
house, charmingly set in a small,
formally laid-out garden.

Statue in

courtyard

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp266–7 and pp292–4

STAR FEATURES

. Rubens’s Studio
. Kunstkamer

Entrance

passage