Albert Rubens

Albert Rubens (1614–1657), was the eldest son of Peter Paul Rubens and Isabella Brant. He entered government service in Brussels and gained some renown as a scholar of antiquity.[1]

Albert and his younger brother Nicolaas, by Peter Paul Rubens

Biography

Albert Rubens was baptised on 5 June 1614, presumably within a few days of being born, with Albert VII, Archduke of Austria as godfather by proxy. He studied at the Latin school of the Augustinians in Antwerp, and was tutored by Gaspar Gevartius, a scholar of repute who was a friend of his father. Albert had a particular interest in Roman Antiquity and in numismatics.

On 15 June 1630, Albert Rubens was appointed acting secretary of the Brussels Privy Council, a position nominally held by his father. In 1640 he succeeded to the post in full. On 3 January 1641 Albert married Clara del Monte, who was of Spanish descent, and settled in Brussels. Their only son, Albert(they had also three daughters: Isabelle, Constance and Claire) died in September 1656 as a consequence of having been bitten by a rabid dog. His parents never fully recovered from the loss. Albert died on 1 October 1657 and Clara on 25 November following. Both were buried in the Rubens family chapel in St. James' Church, Antwerp.[2]

A collection of Albert's essays on ancient clothing, coins and gems was published posthumously by Balthasar Moretus under the title De re vestiaria veterum, [...], et alia eiusdem opuscula posthuma. An inventory of his collection of gems and cameos was drawn up by Jean-Jacques Chifflet.[3]

Publications

References
  1. Marjon Van der Meulen, "Rubens, Albert", in Encyclopedia of the History of Classical Archaeology, ed. Nancy Thomson de Grummond (Routledge, 2015), s.v.
  2. Max Rooses, "Rubens, Albert", Biographie Nationale de Belgique, vol. 20 (Brussels, 1910), 309-313.
  3. Marjon Van der Meulen, "Rubens, Albert", in Encyclopedia of the History of Classical Archaeology, ed. Nancy Thomson de Grummond (Routledge, 2015), s.v.

See also



This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.