A wonderful painting of "Lady with Straw Hat".

in 1977, at the occasion of the International Rubens Year, celebrating his 400th birth anniversary.

Rubens's portraits were very popular in the 18th century.
A wonderful painting of "Lady with Straw Hat". The model was Suzanne Fourment, a younger sister of Rubens' second wife, Helene Fourment. an Antwerp tapestry and silk merchant.The direct glance from under the shadow of the hat, the attention directed to the body, and the ring on the finger, all suggest that the painting is a marriage portrait. (The Straw Hat, was first used in the 18th century. , which is felt. with its curling feathers, is the most prominent feature of the painting, shading the face of the sitter.)