Peter Paul Rubens was born in Siegen, Westphalia on June 28, 1577. He studied at various times under Tobias Verhaecht, Adam van Noort, and Otto van Veen. From 1600 to 1608, he was in Italy, variously in Florence, Rome and Mantua; in 1609 he returned to Antwerp following the news of the death of his mother. On October 3, 1609 at the age of 32, he married Isabella Brant, the daughter of the city's secretary. He had become court painter to the Brussels court of the Archduke Albert and Infanta Isabella, less than a fortnight before his wedding.

It is essential for any understanding of Rubens to remember that the power and richness of his art reflected the depth and scope of his brilliant and cultiv...