Discover the hidden world of Peter Paul Rubens — celebrated painter, court favourite, diplomat and unofficial spy. Admired by Europe’s most powerful rulers, Rubens used his artistic reputation as a passport to royal courts and private political negotiations across the continent.

Travelling between the courts of France, Spain and England, he met influential figures including Marie de' Medici, Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England, often undertaking delicate diplomatic missions on behalf of the Spanish Netherlands. This fascinating lecture reveals how the great Baroque master combined artistic brilliance with intelligence, charm and political skill in the dangerous world of seventeenth-century Europe.

Banner image: Peter Paul Rubens, ‘Self-portrait’, 1639, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Photo via Wikipedia