Sir Peter Paul Rubens (ˈrybə(n)s; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640), was a
German-born
Flemish Baroque painter, and a proponent of an extravagant
Baroque style that emphasised movement, colour, and sensuality. He is well known for his
Counter-Reformation altarpieces,
portraits,
landscapes, and
history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects.
In addition to running a large studio in
Antwerp that produced paintings popular with nobility and art collectors throughout Europe, Rubens was a classically educated
humanist scholar and diplomat who was
knighted by both
Philip IV, King of Spain, and
Charles I, King of England.