RUBENS. 



To forward this view, lie placed himfelf as a difciple of 

 Tobias Verhaecht, a landfcape painter of fome note, but 

 loon left him, to (tudy hillory painting under Adam Van 

 Oort. As the vulgar and brutal deportment of that artift 

 were little congenial to the elevated and gentle mind and dil- 

 pofition of Rubens, he loon quitted him alfo, and then en- 

 tered the fchool of Otho Venhis, who poiielled qualities, 

 both as a man and an artift, far more fuited to his talle ; and 

 he became attached to this his lail preceptor, in the warmell 

 and moll rc-ipectful degree. 



When Rubens had attained his twenty-third year, Otho 

 had the candour to tell him that he could no farther promote 

 his progrefs ; and advifed him to travel to Italy, and gather 

 the ricli fruit of higher cultivation in art, at that rich (tore- 

 houfe and fertile nurfery of talle and talent. This wife and 

 parental advice ot his mailer correfponded fo entirely with 

 his own inclination, that he immediately prepared for the 

 journey ; and having received llrong recommendatory letters 

 from the archduke Albert, governor of the Netherlands, 

 to Vincenzio Gonzaga, duke of Mantua, he let forth for 

 Italy. 



Devoting a fliort time to the examination of the fine 

 works at Venice, he proceeded to Mantua, where he received 

 moil marked attention from the duke, who was no lefs 

 pleafed with his polite accomplifhments, than with his (kill as 

 an artilt, and loon after appointed him one of the gentle- 

 men oi his chamber. His rcfidence with this prince afforded 

 him every delirable means of feeing and (ludying the great 

 works of Giulio Romano, in the palace del T, with which 

 he is faid to have been peculiarly delighted ; and he had con- 

 tinued with him two years, when he requefted permiflion to 

 go to Venice, the empire of colouring, for the purpofe of 

 (ludying Mill farther the works of Titian and others, which 

 had (o much engaged his attention as he palled through that 

 city. On his return to Mantua he evinced how much he 

 had benefited by (ludying the rich and brilliant productions 

 of the Venetian fchool, in the three magnificent pictures he 

 painted for the church of the Jefuits ; which, in bravura of 

 execution, and freedom of force in eftett, rank nearly among 

 his bell productions. His patron afterwards gave him a 

 commiflion, which afforded him the means oi purfuing his 

 itudies at Rome, where he had not yet been, which was to 

 make copies for him of fome of the mod celebrated pictures 

 there, and he received it with gratitude and delight. Dur- 

 ing hi3 refidence there he executed feveral of thefe tran- 

 fcripts with uncommon fuccefs, and they were elteemcd by 

 the duke almoil equal in value with the originals. 



In 1605, Rubene was honoured by his friend with another 

 commiflion, which Hill further afliiled to advance his know- 

 ledge of the art, whilll it ferved the views of the prince. 

 He was fent on an embaffy from Mantua to the court of 

 Spain, and went to Madrid, carrying with him magnificent 

 prefents for the duke of Lerma, the favourite of Pmlip 111. 

 He executed his million with the fuccefs which attends abi- 

 lity and integrity ; and while intent upon the political part 

 of his employment, did not negleft to employ his pictorial 

 talents with full power, gaining the elkeem and admira- 

 tion of the king of Spain, whofe portrait he painted, 

 and from whom he received the mod flattering marks of 

 approbation. 



Soon after his return to Mantua, he revifited Rome, 

 where he was engaged to adorn the tribune of Sta. Maria, 

 in Valticella ; there he painted three admirable pictures, in 

 which he appears to have imitated the llyle of P. Veroncfe. 

 From Rome he went to Genoa, where the reputation la- 

 had acquired greatly excited public curiolity, and he was 

 engaged to paint many pictures. Among them he executed 



two for the church of the Jefuits, the fubje&s of which 

 were, the Crucifixion, and St. Ignatius performing a mi- 

 racle, which gave univerfal fatisfa&ion and delight. 



Having been abfent from his native country eight years, he 

 was fummoned home by the reported illnefs of his mother ; 

 but though he hailened with all fpeed, he did not reach An- 

 twerp in time to afford his beloved parent the confolations 

 of his prefence and affe&ions. The lofs of her affefted 

 him deeply, and he intended, when he had arranged his pri- 

 vate affairs, to go and refide in Italy ; but the archduke 

 Albert, and the Infanta Ifabella, exerted their intereft to 

 retain him in Flanders, and in their fervice. He confe- 

 quently eitablifhed himfelf at Antwerp, where he married 

 his tirll wife, Elizabeth Brants, and built a magnificent 

 houfe, with a laloon in form of a rotunda, which he enriched 

 with antique flatues, bulls, vafes, and pictures by the mod 

 celebrated painters : and here, furrounded by works of art, 

 he carried into execution thofe numberlefs productions of his 

 prolific and rich invention, which once adorned his native 

 country, but now are become the fpoil of war, and the 

 tokens of conqueil and ambition, (hining with equal lullre 

 among other fuper-eminent productions of painting in the 

 gallery of the Louvre. 



The amazing fuccefs of Rubens in his art, and the 

 honours and wealth which were accumulated upon him, ex- 

 cited the envy and malignity of many among his rivals, who 

 afcribed the mo ft meritorious parts of his works to the 

 ability of his pupils, among whom were Jordaens, Van 

 Uden, Snydcrs, Wilden, &c. and forgetting that fuch men 

 would not confent to work for another whom they did not 

 regard as pre-eminent to themfelves. Cornelius Schut abufed 

 him for lack of invention. Abraham Janfens had the au- 

 dacity to defy him to a trial of ilrength. Rubens anfwered, 

 that he would contend with him when he had (hewn himfelf 

 to be a worthy competitor. A more friendly offer was re- 

 jected by him with equal wit. A chemill offered him a 

 (hare of his laboratory, and of his hopes of obtaining the 

 philofopher's (lone. He carried the vifionary into his paint- 

 ing room, and told him his offer came twenty years too late, 

 for fo long, laid he, is it fince I found the art of making 

 gold with my palette and pencils. The abufe of Schut and 

 ot Rombouts, who joined in it, he anfwered by relieving 

 their neceflities, and procuring them employment ; and by 

 engaging 111 thofe varieties of art, landfcapes, lion and cro- 

 codile-hunting, and other mifcellaneous fubjecls, he decidedly 

 eitablifhed his claim to the title of an univerfal painter, and 

 covered his calumniators with fhame and confufion. 



In 1620, when his talents had procured him univerfal 

 renown, he received a .commiflion from Mary de Medici 

 to adorn the gallery of the palace of the Luxembourg. 

 There, in conlequence, he executed the works fo well 

 known; in which he reprefented, with the moll rich and 

 varied imagination, by very ingenious allegorical and em- 

 blematical deligns, the principal events in the life of that 

 princefs. The whole were executed at Antwerp, except 

 two pictures, which he painted at Paris in 1623, when 

 he went there to arrange the whole in the gallery : and 

 thin, in the fhort fpace of three years, amidil innumerable 

 other engagements, was this large feries of compofitions, 

 extenfivc in their defign, and rich in number of figures and 

 in variety of colouring, completed: exhibiting an allonifh- 

 ing proof of the vivacity of his imagination, and the (kill 

 and dexterity with which he controlled the materials of his 

 ait. Ii was at thil period that he became known to the 

 duke of Buckingham, as that nobleman parted with his 

 mailer, prince Charles, through France on his way to 

 Madrid. He afterwards became the purchafcr of Rubens's 

 4 O 2 rich 



