Rubenshuis

The Rubenshuis is the former home and workshop of Peter Paul Rubens 1577–1640 in Antwerp. Purchased in 1610, Rubens had the Flemish townhouse renovated and extended on the basis of designs by Rubens himself. After the renovations the house and its courtyard garden had the outlook of an Italian palazzo, which reflected Rubens' artistic ideals. The ensemble is now a museum dedicated mainly to the work of Rubens and his contemporaries. A year after marrying Isabella Brant in 1609, Rubens began construction on an Italian-style villa on the then-Vaartstraat now the Wapper, 9-11, at the time located at the banks of the canal Herentalse Vaart. Rubens designed the building himself, based on studies of Italian Renaissance palace architecture that also formed the basis of his Palazzi di Genova.

The layout included his home, studio, a monumental portico and an interior courtyard. The courtyard opens into a Baroque garden that he also planned. In the adjacent studio he and his students executed many of the works for which Rubens is famous. He had established a well-organised workshop that met the demands of his active studio, including large commissions from England, France, Spain and Bavaria and other locations.