Portrait of the Infanta Isabella

Artist: Studio of Peter Paul Rubens (Belgian, 1577 - 1640)

Original Dimensions: 47 1/2" x 35"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (About 1615) "Isabella Clara Eugenia, Archduchess of Austria, was the daughter of King Philip II of Spain. She is shown sumptuously dressed in black and gold, with a spectacularly large ruff and spiky lace cuffs. She looks out at us with a hint of a smile in her eyes and around her mouth. In 1599 Isabella married her cousin Albert, Archduke of Austria, and they were made joint Sovereign of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands by her father. When Albert died in 1621, Isabella was confirmed as sovereign in her own right. She tried untiringly to bring an end to the fighting in the Netherlands that broke out after the failure of a 12-year truce between the Protestant Northern Provinces, which were struggling for independence from Spain, and the Southern Provinces (Flanders), which were predominantly Roman Catholic. Rubens was both court painter and a trusted adviser of Isabella throughout her reign. When she died in 1633, she was described by her chaplain as ‘the wisest and most accomplished princess'." - (National Gallery of Art, London)