The garden of the Rubens House is a hidden gem in the heart of Antwerp. This is the place where the world-famous artist lived with his family and entourage and could relax. The garden has been reconstructed and, thanks to advice from fashion designer Dries Van Noten, provides year-round colour, season after season. The design hearkens back to plant species from Rubens' time, including columbine, marigolds and citrus plants.
This book presents the results of years of archive research that went into the reconstruction of The Rubens Garden, describes the historical context and provides an overview of the main flowers and plants and their story. With beautiful details from floral still lifes and other works of Rubens and his contemporaries, this richly illustrated book reveals the beauty of the unique garden of the Rubens House in Antwerp. In addition, it offers a glimpse of little-known historical material about this magical garden and city gardens in Antwerp in the time of Rubens.
AUTHOR: Klara Alen is research curator of the historical garden of the Rubenshuis in Antwerp and researcher for Rubens' country estate 'Het Steen' in Elewijt. She studied art history at the University of Leuven and art market studies at the VU Amsterdam. Klara obtained her PhD in art history in the spring of 2017 as a researcher of Project Cornelia (www.projectcornelia.be). Her doctoral dissertation takes an inclusive look at the Antwerp tapestry industry (1660-1720) through art historical research, archival research, data visualisation and data analysis. The project was supervised by Koen Brosens and co-supervised by Katlijne Van der Stighelen, Neil de Marchi, Hans J. Van Miegroet and Paul McLean. Klara has published papers and given lectures on the early development of still life painting in the Northern and Southern Netherlands, 17th century Antwerp horticulture, Rubens' garden, women artists and the social and entrepreneurial strategies of early modern artists and art dealers. Together with Sam Segal, Klara is the author of Dutch and Flemish Flower Pieces. Paintings, Drawings and Prints up to the Nineteenth Century (Brill, 2020).
SELLING POINTS: .
Delve into the history and beauty of the Rubens Garden in Antwerp .
Discover plant species and designs inspired by Rubens' masterpieces .
Features stunning floral still lifes and artworks .
Explore this secret oasis in the heart of Antwerp .
Ideal for art lovers, history enthusiasts, and garden lovers
By:
Klara Alen
Imprint: Cannibal/Hannibal Publishers
Country of Publication: Belgium
Dimensions:
Height: 210mm,
Width: 148mm,
Weight: 484g
ISBN: 9789464941593
ISBN 10: 9464941596
Pages: 144
Publication Date: 01 December 2024
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified
HISTORICAL RESEARCH FOR THE RUBENS GARDEN 19 Embellishing the garden 24 Willem and Jaspar, Rubens’s gardeners 30 Atro telluris occulta. Hidden in the darkness of the earth 35 The portico: the crown jewel of the Rubens Garden 42 The pavilion: the eye-catcher 46 The berceau 54 Antwerp city gardens in Rubens’s time 57 From the library of Rubens and his son Albert 62 The flower catalogue of a Brussels painter 66 Painted flower pieces for the Rubens Garden A SMALL FLORILEGIUM OF THE RUBENS GARDEN 78 Aquilegia vulgaris / Columbine 81 Borago officinalis / Borage 85 Calendula officinalis / Marigold 89 Citrus 98 Cyclamen hederifolium / Sowbread 103 Dianthus / Carnation 109 Erythronium dens-canis / Dog’s tooth violet 113 Ficus carica / Fig 119 Fragaria vesca / Wild strawberry 123 Fritillaria imperialis / Crown imperial 126 Fritillaria meleagris / Snake’s head fritillary 128 Humulus lupulus / Hop 130 Jasminum / Jasmine 133 Laurus nobilis / Bay tree 137 Pyrus ‘Rousselet de Reims’ / Pear 142 Rosmarinus / Rosemary 145 Taxus baccata / Yew 149 Tulipa / Tulip 156 Further reading 157 Photo credits
Klara Alen is research curator of the historical garden of the Rubenshuis in Antwerp and researcher for Rubens' country estate 'Het Steen' in Elewijt. She studied art history at the University of Leuven and art market studies at the VU Amsterdam. Klara obtained her PhD in art history in the spring of 2017 as a researcher of Project Cornelia (www.projectcornelia.be). Her doctoral dissertation takes an inclusive look at the Antwerp tapestry industry (1660-1720) through art historical research, archival research, data visualisation and data analysis. The project was supervised by Koen Brosens and co-supervised by Katlijne Van der Stighelen, Neil de Marchi, Hans J. Van Miegroet and Paul McLean. Klara has published papers and given lectures on the early development of still life painting in the Northern and Southern Netherlands, 17th century Antwerp horticulture, Rubens' garden, women artists and the social and entrepreneurial strategies of early modern artists and art dealers. Together with Sam Segal, Klara is the author of Dutch and Flemish Flower Pieces. Paintings, Drawings and Prints up to the Nineteenth Century (Brill, 2020).
