Archduke Ferdinand
Artist
Peter Paul Rubens
(Flemish, 1577 - 1640)
Depicted
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria
(Spanish, c. 1609 - 1641)
Datec. 1635
CultureFlemish
MediumOil on canvas
ClassificationPaintings
ProvenancePurchased by Sir Joshua Reynolds [1723-1792] for 100 guineas, 1771; John Fitzpatrick, Second Earl of Upper Ossory [1745-1818], Ampthill Park, Bedfordshire; to his illegitimate daughter, Lady Emma Mary FitzPatrick, married to Robert Vernon, First Baron Lyveden [1800-1873]; by inheritance to his youngest son, the Honorable Greville Richard Vernon, Auchans House, Kilmarnock; purchased by Charles Sedelmeyer, Paris, June 14, 1898; purchased by J. Pierpont Morgan for 500 francs, Dover House, London, 1898. Knoedler, New York; purchased by The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 1948.
Credit LineMuseum purchase, 1948
Object numberSN626
The younger brother of King Philip IV of Spain, Ferdinand (1609/10-1641) represented Spanish interests in northern Europe as governor of the Netherlands. He is depicted here as a military commander fresh from his victory over the king of Sweden at Nördlingen in 1634. Rubens turned to Titian for his prototype, influenced by the Italian artist's mastery of psychological character-ization in his portraiture and his daring use of color and dynamic brushwork. He obviously succeeded - Ferdinand establishes a direct visual and emotional contact with the viewer, suggesting an unusual rapport between sitter and artist.
On View
On viewLocation
DimensionsImage: 45 3/4 x 37 in. (116.2 x 94 cm)- Museum of Art, Gallery 11, Wall West
Frame: 60 7/8 × 52 1/4 in. (154.6 × 132.7 cm)
Peter Paul Rubens