Episode Details

Peter Paul Rubens ran the most productive painting workshop in Europe, negotiated peace treaties between warring nations, and gathered intelligence for the Spanish crown — all while producing some of the most sensuous and physically overwhelming art in Western history. He was a painter, diplomat, spy, and businessman who managed all four careers simultaneously.

This episode traces Rubens from his childhood in exile through his Italian apprenticeship, his workshop in Antwerp, and the diplomatic missions that took him to the courts of Spain, England, and France.

• His Antwerp workshop employed dozens of assistants and produced roughly 1,400 paintings during his career
• He negotiated a peace treaty between England and Spain and was knighted by both Charles I and Philip IV
• He gathered intelligence for the Spanish Habsburg court while traveling as a painter and diplomat
• His dynamic, muscular style influenced artists from Delacroix to Renoir across three centuries