Rome 1600-1609

He worked for two years supporting himself with a studio of Venius’, selling paintings.  Then, he obtained his passport to Italy, a place he felt he had to visit in order to advance as an artist.  His trip to Italy was leisurely made and on the way he stopped at the homes of many unexplained connections.

Then he was hired by Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, for whom he worked for 9 years.  He did both original works and copies of Renaissance paintings.  He also did the portraits of the duke’s mistresses.  After the duke lost interest in a woman, Rubens was allowed the next attempt at her favors.  The duke sent the newly appointed master painter across Europe to Italy, a necessity for the continuation of his career in art.  He arrived in Venice in 1600 and then traveled to Rome.  In Rome he created the triptych which is the first work to be attributed to him: “The Finding of the True Cross by St. Helena” (center), “The Raising of the Cross”, and “The Crowing with Thorns.”

For the most of the duration of his work for the Duke he worked in Italy, but he did take a short trip to Spain.  Gonzaga used him as an ambassador to the Spanish King.  His choice of Rubens was for two reasons.  First, the king was very conscious of family and Fleming enjoyed the favor of Archduke Albert, his uncle.  Second, Rubens was a great speaker.  The Duke had not given what Rubens considered to be sufficient funds.  Unfortunately, during one stretch of his journey to the king on which Rubens took the gifts on dirt roads it began to rain.  It rained for three weeks and the paintings, although covered in zinc, were damaged.  Rubens, seeing no alternative, fixed them himself and then added to the pile.  The Duke of Lerma, impressed by Rubens’ works, commissioned him to do a piece for him in Madrid.  The Duke wanted Rubens to then follow him to Paris to paint portraits of beautiful women for him, but Rubens replied that he considered it beneath him and in 1604 returned to Mantua instead.  Rubens continued to work for the duke and commissioned him to work on original pieces.  The duke was so impressed by Ruben’s work that he made him pensioner for life with the sum of 400 gold ducats per annum.

In 1607, Rubens would break off relations with Mantua.  The duke had been poor about paying the pension due to Rubens. The straw that broke the camel’s back, though, was the duke’s refusal to pay the original price for a piece done by Rubens.

His brother Philip left for Flanders that summer, leaving Peter Paul Rubens alone in Rome.  Soon Philip wrote to him with terrible news, his sister Blandine was dead and his mother dying. He left immediately but when he finally arrived Philip informed him that their mother had died a month ago.  He stayed in Antwerp, although he longed to leave, to see his closest family member, his brother Philip, be married to the daughter of Henri le Moy. 

Continue to Rubens Biography Part 4: Antwerp 1609-1626 The Isabella Brandt Years