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Self-Portrait in a Circle of Friends from Mantua
The self-portrait depicts Peter Paul Rubens surrounded by his friends from Mantua: Frans Pourbus, Caspar Schoppe, William Richardot, the artist's brother Filip Rubens, and Justus Lipsius. The painting is executed in the Baroque style, showing not only Rubens's likeness but also the intellectual and social circle of the artist.
Portrait of the Creator
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Artist
Peter Paul Rubens
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Date of birth and death
28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640
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Natinality
Flemish
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Style
Flemish Baroque painting, dynamic compositions, vivid coloring, sensuous forms
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Significant works
The Raising of the Cross, The Descent from the Cross, The Night Watch, The Fall of Man, Marie de’ Medici cycle, The Three Graces
Information about the work
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Year:
1602
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Execution technique:
oil on canvas
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Location:
Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne, Germany
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Theme:
self-portrait, friends, artistic environment, Baroque, group portrait
Internal Narrative and Creative Framework
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Inner Narrative
The painting highlights the significance of friendship, intellectual bonds, and the artist's social standing by depicting him among important individuals to him. The composition also emphasizes Rubens's role as a member of the cultural and artistic elite.
The key to interpreting the work
Interpret as a document of the artistic and social life of Rubens and his milieu in Mantua, paying attention to the dynamics of the figures and their relationships.See other works by this artist
Copy of Battle of Anghiari, the lost painting by Leonardo da Vinci
- Artist: Peter Paul Rubens
- Year: 1603
Madonna and Child with the Donors Alexandre Goubeau and his wife Anne Antoni
- Artist: Peter Paul Rubens
- Year: 1604
