One king trusts his daughter into the care of his son-in-law, another king. What happens next is horrific, and shown brilliantly by Artemisia Gentileschi and Rubens.
Rubens
More popular today than in classical Greece, these warrior women could have been an opportunity to redress the balance between genders. Here they are at war.
Rich in wordplay, this story is almost unique to Ovid. It was oddly prescient of his own later banishment too.
Marie’s plan to bring peace to Europe is implemented in double royal weddings. The paintings say it brought a new age to France, but history says otherwise.
An introduction to some of the history and panegyric behind Rubens’ Marie de’ Medici Cycle, in the Louvre.
A shocking story of the abduction of a young girl by the king of the underworld, but told with sensitivity. And accompanied by some outstanding paintings.
Was Cyrus an evil conqueror with a lust for blood? How a legendary queen became a role model for European monarchs, with the visual support of Rubens.
Not just superb paintings, but one of the great visual tropes of Western art, and one of the best wedding speeches ever.
An ingenious telling of the story of Perseus rescuing Andromeda from the jaws of a sea monster results in many superb paintings.
With no diplomatic mission to accomplish, and an open commission, Rubens was free to express his experience of war.
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