Around 1615 the young and ambitious Van Dyck, still in his mid-teens, elected to join Rubens's studio, despite having already set up his own independent workshop in Antwerp. Just over ten years later, united once again in Antwerp, Rubens painted this intimate portrait of Van Dyck, his most exceptional assistant. The fact that Rubens used the same paint for outlining and modelling the figure would suggest that he painted it in a single sitting, perhaps for a friend or family member.

Cat. 12