Thyssen-Bornemisza Museo Nacional Search Ir al contenido principal

Navegación superior (EN)

About Us Support Become Friend Shop Tickets
Español
Visit Collection Exhibitions Activities Education Search
  • Visit
  • Collection
  • Exhibitions
  • Activities
  • Education

Thyssen - Navegación superior (EN)

About Us Support Become Friend Shop Tickets
Español
©
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
Peter Paul Rubens

Portrait of a Young Woman with a Rosary

ca. 1609 - 1610
Oil on panel.
107 x 76.7 cm
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
Inv. no.
352
(
1979.64
)
ROOM 19
Level 2
Permanent Collection
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 13 15 16 17 18 22 19 20 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Recommended start of the visitClassical rooms
1 14th Century. Early Italian Painting 2 15th Century. German and Spanish Painting 3 15th Century. Early Netherlandish Painting 4 15th Century. Italian Painting 5 15th and 16th Centuries. Renaissance Portraiture 6 16th Century. Villahermosa Gallery 7 16th Century. Italian Painting 8 15th and 16th Centuries. German Painting 9 15th and 16th Centuries. German Painting 10 16th Century. Netherlandish Painting 11 Tiziano, Tintoretto, Bassano and  El Greco 12 17th Century. Caravaggio and Baroque Painting 13 17th Century. Italian, French and Spanish Painting 14 17th Century. Italian, French and Spanish Painting 15 17th Century. Italian, French and Spanish Painting 16 18th Century. Italian Painting 17 18th Century. Italian Painting 18 18th Century. Italian Painting 19 Classical rooms 20 Classical rooms 21 Classical rooms 22 18th Century. Italian Painting 23 17th Century. Dutch Painting. Landscape 24 18th Century. French and English Painting 25 17th Century. Dutch Painting. Scenes of Daily Life and Interiors 26 17th Century. Dutch Painting. Landscape 27 17th Century. Dutch Painting. Portrait 28 17th Century. Dutch Painting. Landscape 29 19th Century. European Painting. Goya and Romanticism  

This portrait of an unidentified female sitter can be dated to between 1609 and 1610 when Rubens was established in Antwerp following his return from Italy in 1608. The year 1609 saw two important events in his life: his marriage to Isabella Brandt, daughter of the government official and scholar Jan Brandt; and his appointment as official painter to the Archduke and Archduchess Albert and Isabella. They granted him special permission to maintain his residence in Antwerp, as well as lucrative tax benefits and a sizeable annual stipend. Among his obligations as court painter was that of executing a series of portraits of Albert and Isabella intended for members of their family residing at the various courts of Europe.

Rubens divided his time between these obligations for the Governors of the Netherlands with the execution of a wide range of commissions that obliged him to establish and run a large and efficient workshop in response to the increasing demand for his paintings arising from his growing fame. During these early years in Antwerp the artist enjoyed the friendship and support of two leading figures: the burgomaster of the city, Nicolaas Rockox, and the merchant Cornelis van der Gest. It was Rockox who commissioned Rubens’ first major work for the city of Antwerp, namely The Adoration of the Magi, painted for the Chamber of the States and now in the Museo del Prado, Madrid. This canvas, among other works, helped Rubens to gain a wider range of clients and types of commissions, in which portraiture occupied an important role.

Rubens painted a sizeable group of portraits during his first trip to Italy. The innovations that he introduced into this genre, and which laid the basis for the classic Baroque portrait, are to be seen in The Duke of Lerma on Horseback (Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid), painted during his first trip to Italy in 1603 on a diplomatic mission. This portrait broke away from Renaissance formulas to present the Duke advancing towards the viewer with an enormous impression of force and dynamism.

In the present panel the artist replaced the architectural backgrounds with balustrades and terraces used in his Genoese portraits with a warm red hanging, against which he locates a young woman who is richly dressed and holds a rosary. The costly, elegant nature of her clothes has led to the suggestion that she was an aristocratic member of the court at Brussels. However, it should be noted that in another important portrait, that of The Artist with Isabella Brandt (Alte Pinakothek, Munich), executed around the time of his marriage, Rubens depicted his wife, who was a member of the prosperous Antwerp middle classes, in equally fine clothes. The different effects and textures of the lace ruff, sleeves and headdress, the silver tones of the bodice with its gold embroidery, the gradations on the black dress and the reflections on the glass rosary, all recall the style of his portraits of Genoese aristocrats.

The fact that the present sitter holds a rosary, a manner of prayer encouraged by the Dominicans, has been related to her personal devotional interests, as Gaskell noted. The Virgin gave a rosary of roses to Saint Dominic of Guzmán, founder of the Order, which he used in his victory over the Albigensian heretics.

The setting and pose of the figure in the present panel have been compared to those in the Portrait of Éleanor of Bourbon, Princess of Orange in the Frick Art and Historical Center, Pittsburgh. In addition, Müller Hofstede compared it to Portrait of a Man in a private collection in Munich, which he suggested as a possible pair to this panel. It is thought that the present work could have been in the private collection of Rubens’ heirs. It might have belonged to Philippe van Parys, the husband of Rubens’ daughter Clara Johanna, and to Philippe-Constant van Parys and his wife Catalina, who was the painter’s niece. The oil remained in the family until 1853 when it was auctioned in Brussels. After that it was to be found in various private collections and with several dealers before it was acquired in Rome for the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection in 1979.

Mar Borobia

17th Century17th Century - Flemish paintingPaintingOilpanel
Listen
Download image Print page

Tours to find it

Portrait of David Lyon. Retrato de David Lyon, c. 1825
Tours
Fashion

A journey through the evolution of clothing from the fourteenth century to the present day.

Portrait of Millicent, Duchess of Sutherland. Retrato de Millicent, duquesa de Sutherland, 1904
Tours
Jewellery

Through a selection of works spanning from the 15th to the 20th century, we examine the importance and evolution of the art of jewellery and its relationship with painting.

Products and publications

Portrait of a young Woman with a Rosary

Portrait of a young Woman with a Rosary

17.00 €

Portrait of a Young Woman plate x Lool World

Portrait of a Young Woman plate x Lool World

64.51 €

César Paternosto. Towards painting as object. Exhibition Catalogue

César Paternosto. Towards painting as object. Exhibition Catalogue

9.50 €

Max Beckmann, figuras del exílio. Exhibition catalogue. Paperback Spanish language edition.

Max Beckmann, figuras del exílio. Exhibition catalogue. Paperback Spanish language edition.

9.50 €

Visit online shop

More from the collection

Peter Paul Rubens
Peter Paul Rubens
The Virgin and Child with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist
ca. 1618
Peter Paul Rubens
Peter Paul Rubens
Venus and Cupid
ca. 1606 - 1611
Peter Paul Rubens
Peter Paul Rubens
The Blinding of Samson
ca. 1609 - 1610
Jan Brueghel , the Elder
Jan Brueghel , the Elder
The Garden of Eden
ca. 1610 - 1612
  • Private and/or didactic use
  • Commercial use
Private and/or didactic use
Portrait of a Young Woman with a Rosary. Retrato de una joven dama con rosario, c. 1609-1610
Portrait of a Young Woman with a Rosary
Peter Paul Rubens

©

Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

Terms of Use

The exploitation rights of the images correspond to the Fundación Coleccion Thyssen-Bornemisza, F.S.P. The Fundación authorizes the downloading of high-resolution images from its website for private use, use for educational and research purposes, and other non-commercial uses.

Use for educational and research purposes is understood as the non-commercial or advertising use of images in presentations, conferences, school or university work, in classes at regulated education institutions, as well as in academic publications, with a circulation of less than 1,000 copies, provided that it is non-profit.

Non-commercial use is understood as the use of the images in a context where no profit, monetary or commercial, is generated, directly or indirectly.

Any use other than those indicated above will require the prior written authorization of the Fundación Any request for educational and research use or for non-commercial use (including academic publications), should be directed by email to the Museum Photo Library through the email address archivo.fotografico@museothyssen.org. This department manages the worldwide distribution of the images of the works of the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza and the management of their reproduction rights for those uses.

The user agrees to use the image of the website solely and exclusively for the purposes described above and in accordance with the following terms of use:

Terms of use

  • If the image is used for reproduction, the work must be reproduced in its entirety. The image may not be manipulated, deformed, modified, or altered in any way. In particular, no superposition (of images or texts) on the reproduction is allowed.
  • The reproduction of a detail or part of the work may only be made with the prior written authorization of the Fundación. In this case, the credit line must include the following mention: “detail”.
  • Any total or partial reproduction of the images authorized by the Fundación must be accompanied by the following mention: Author's name. Title, Date © Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid.
  • The user will send to the Museum Photo Library of the Fundación one (1) free copy of the edition, publication or reproduction to the following address: Archivo Fotográfico, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Paseo del Prado, 8 28014 Madrid, Spain.
Download image
Commercial use
Portrait of a Young Woman with a Rosary. Retrato de una joven dama con rosario, c. 1609-1610
Portrait of a Young Woman with a Rosary
Peter Paul Rubens

©

Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

Terms of Use

The Photographic Archive of the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza offers sale and rental service of photographic material of all the works on its Permanent Collection.

To request images or permits for commercial use in academic or research publications, that is, catalogues of other institutions, monographs and other specialized publications, you should contact the Museum's Commercial Archive by email at the e-mail @email.

To request images or permits for other commercial or advertising uses (general publications, merchandising, exhibitions, audio-visual works, web pages, etc.), you should contact the Museum's Commercial Archive by email at the e-mail @email.

The Photo Library and the Museum's Commercial Archive manage the worldwide distribution of images of the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza works, as well as their reproduction rights. The applicable rates are calculated based on the nature and proposed use of the images, as well as the availability of the requested image.

Requests for scans or new photographs will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Once approved, an additional fee will apply. Re-photographing a work will require a minimum of six weeks to complete.

However, photographed works are protected by copyright. Therefore, regardless of the terms of use of the photographs set out below by the Foundation, it will be necessary to obtain a license from the author or copyright holder known to the Fundacion in order to reproduce or exploit the work.

Download image
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museo Nacional

Navegación secundaria (EN)

  • #Thyssenmultimedia
  • Press
  • Corporate events
  • Tourism
  • Join our team
  • Newsletter
Instagram
Facebook
X
Youtube
TikTok
iVoox
LinkedIn

The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza would like to thanks for the collaboration of:

Fundación Mutua Madrileña Master Card Comunidad de Madrid
©2025 Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum

Menú al pie (EN)

  • Legal terms and use of images
  • Public tenders
  • Transparency site
  • Accessibility and quality
  • Sustainability & 2030 Agenda
  • Contact
Ministry of Culture España es cultura | Spain is culture. The website promoting Spanish culture Paisaje de la Luz | Paseo del Prado y Buen Retiro. Paisaje de las Artes y las Ciencias
Certificación de Conformidad con el Esquema Nacional de Seguridad. Categoría Media. RD 311/2022