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Sir Peter Paul Rubens

Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) was a Flemish artist who produced some of the finest baroque paintings of his day. A prominent figure on the international stage, he was commissioned by the likes of Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England.

He ran a large studio in Antwerp and was known for his extravagantly styled portraits, landscapes and history paintings. Among his most famous works to have sold at auction was The Massacre of the Innocents which took £45m at Sotheby’s in July 2002.


Van Dyck self portrait

Mixed fortunes for rediscovered Rubens and van Dyck self portraits in New York auction

02 February 2024

Two recent art market discoveries, both self-portraits by titans of 17th century British art, met contrasting fortunes in New York.

Rubens’ Portrait of a Man as the God Mars

Rubens painting to be offered in Modern art evening sale

23 February 2023

Sir Peter Paul Rubens’ 'Portrait of a Man as the God Mars', once the most expensive work by the artist ever sold at auction, is to be offered at a Sotheby's Modern art sale.

Rubens painting

Rubens heads New York’s Old Master series

30 January 2023

A painting by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) from the collection of the divorcing couple Mark Fisch and Rachel Davidson led the latest series of Old Master sales in New York.

Rubens

Rediscovered Rubens painting to be auctioned following divorce by US collectors

26 October 2022

A rediscovered Rubens and nine other Baroque paintings will be offered at Sotheby’s New York in January.

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Rubens among highlights of Christie’s July evening auction

15 July 2020

Christie’s will offer a work attributed to Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) during its ‘Classic month’ series of sales in London.

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Two seven-figure French discoveries

08 April 2019

A Mannerist bronze after Giambologna and a rediscovered oil sketch by Peter Paul Rubens posted seven-figure sums during the series of sales coinciding with the Salon du Dessin fair in Paris.

Rubens oil sketch of St Margaret

Rubens oil sketch for church ceiling in Antwerp takes €1.3m at auction

03 April 2019

Discovered in a house in northern France, a rare oil sketch by Peter Paul Rubens created for an important commission in Antwerp has sold for €1.3m (£1.12m).

Peter Paul Rubens oil sketch

Rubens oil sketch discovered in northern France offered in Lille auction

04 March 2019

A rare oil sketch by Peter Paul Rubens created for an important commission in Antwerp has been discovered in a house in northern France and will come up for auction in Lille on March 31.

Peter Paul Rubens drawing

Dutch royal family Rubens drawing sets $7m auction record

30 January 2019

A sketch by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) that formerly belonged to the Dutch King William II and his wife Anna Pavlovna has set an auction record for a drawing by the artist at Sotheby’s New York.

Victoria Beckham

See the Old Masters hanging out in Mayfair with Victoria Beckham

25 June 2018

Pop star-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham is displaying 16 Old Master paintings at her Dover Street store in Mayfair as part of a tie-up with auction house Sotheby’s.

Stephan Welz auction

Rubens portrait emerges at South African auction house

16 June 2018

A portrait of an old man attributed to Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) has emerged at South African saleroom Stephan Welz & Co.

Peter Paul Rubens, ‘Portrait of Clara Serena, the Artist's Daughter’

‘Copy’ of Rubens sold by Met Museum now offered at Christie’s after attribution upgraded

02 May 2018

A painting thought to be a copy of a Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) portrait when it was deaccessioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art will now be offered at Christie’s in London with a full attribution. It will carry an estimate of £3m-5m.

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Export bar placed on Rubens’ rare 17th century painting of an African man

10 April 2018

A rare 17th century depiction of an African man in Europe by Peter Paul Rubens has been placed under a temporary export bar in an attempt to keep it in the country.

Rubens

Rubens portrait begins world tour in Dubai as auctioneer hopes to tap into Middle Eastern Old Master demand

19 March 2018

Sotheby’s has chosen Dubai to unveil a Rubens painting it plans to offer later this summer in a bid to tap into the hoped-for demand for Old Master paintings in the Middle East.

Grosvenor and Dabiri

Dealer Bendor Grosvenor discovers Rubens' Duke of Buckingham in Glasgow

25 September 2017

Dealer Bendor Grosvenor’s returning series ‘Britain’s Lost Masterpieces’ has discovered a work by Flemish artist Sir Peter Paul Rubens in a National Trust property in Glasgow.

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‘School of Rubens’ panel flies at Swiss Old Masters sale

15 May 2017

Estimated at CHF9000-12,000, a panel painted in the manner of Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) sold for CHF700,000 (£564,500) at Galartis SA in Crissier, Lausanne on May 5.

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Christie’s defends attribution over $4.3m Rubens

25 February 2017

The attribution of an oil sketch to Sir Peter Paul Rubens has pitted experts at Sotheby’s and Christie’s against each other after it hammered for $4.3m in New York last month.

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Slideshow – seven key lots from New York’s Old Master auction series

31 January 2017

The latest series of Old Master auctions in New York posted a total of $52.662m (£41.8m) including premium. With Christie’s moving their main sales in this category to April, this figure was always bound to come in below the $113.3m (£78.14m) for the equivalent series last year. Yet, the auctions performed relatively well overall and provided a decent selection of individual highlights, seven of which are pictured here.

Christies Rubens Lot and his Daughters

Momentous Lot – Rubens raises the bar for an Old Master at Christie’s

08 July 2016

‘Lot and his Daughters’ by Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) sold for £40m at Christie’s last night, setting a house record for an Old Master painting.

The judgment of Paris

Old Master trumps cautious estimate in Paris and soars to €1.56m

20 June 2016

A painting catalogued as from the workshop of Peter Paul Rubens soared past a cautious four-figure estimate to take €1.56m (£1.3m) at a recent Paris auction.