Best-Known Artworks by Peter Paul Rubens

Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens was one of the most influential Baroque artists and among the most prolific Flemish artists. He created about 1,403 paintings.

A View of Het Steen in the Early Morning is a painting also called Chateau de Steen with Hunter. It depicts the estate known as Het Steen near Brussels, which Rubens purchased during the final years of his life. It is another painting he created for himself. This painting had a great influence on the British Romantic landscape artist John Constable.

Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a painting commissioned to decorate the high altar at the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp. The painting depicts the Virgin Mary lifted by a choir of angels. The painting today hangs in the same position as when it was done in 1626.

Consequences of War, or The Horrors of War, is a painting commissioned by Ferdinando II de Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, between 1621 and 1670. The artwork symbolizes the horrors of the Thirty Years’ War raging over Europe between 1618 and 1648. It is on display at the Pitti Palace in Florence.

Honeysuckle Bower is a painting that the artist created after returning from Italy in 1609. That year he married the daughter of an important figure in Antwerp, Isabella Brant. The painting depicts the couple surrounded by marriage symbols, like holding their right hands. Being a symbol of love, they sit in a bower of honeysuckle.

Samson and Delilah is a painting depicting the moment when a young man cuts Samson’s hair as he sleeps on Delilah’s lap. (pictured above) The story comes from the Old Testament, where Samson told his girlfriend that his strength was in his hair. The Philistines bribed her and waited to capture Samson after his hair was cut.

The Arrival of Marie de Medici at Marseille, or The Disembarkation at Marseilles, is one of the 24 paintings commissioned by Marie de Medici for the Luxembourg Palace in Paris. The 24 paintings are known as the Marie de Medici cycle and depict different important moments in the life of the Queen Consort of France and her husband, Henry IV. The artwork is now at the Louvre.

The Elevation of the Cross is an artwork that consists of a huge triptych and a smaller oil-on-paper painting. The artist created this art piece to decorate a church in Antwerp, the Church of St. Walburga. After this, the church was destroyed; the artwork went to the main Cathedral of Antwerp.

The Feast of Venus is a piece of art depicting the Ancient Roman festival called Veneralia. The festival was held on April 1 annually in honor of Venus Verticordia, who represented the Roman goddess Venus. It is a fine example of Baroque art.

The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man was a painting created as a collaboration between two renowned artists. The figures were painted by Peter Paul Rubens, and the fauna and flora were painted by Jan Brueghel the Elder. The artwork depicts the moment before Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit.

The Garden of Love is a painting depicting an over-the-top garden party emphasizing the grandeur and splendor of the people shown on canvas with various allegories and symbolism.

The Three Graces is among the most famous of Rubens's paintings. He created this piece of art for his personal collection, and it took him five years to complete, being interrupted by commission work. This is a mythological painting depicting three Greek goddesses, one of charm, one of charity, and one of gratitude. It is displayed at the Prado Museum.

The Union of Earth and Water is a painting depicting Cybele as the personification of Earth holding the horn of plenty. In the center is Neptune, depicted as the personification of water. The painting symbolizes fertility, wealth, and prosperity. In the city of Antwerp, the relationship with water was important, particularly in the 17th century when the River Scheldt was blocked by the Dutch.