Portrait of Helena Fourment, Rubens' second wife, wearing a fur coat over her shoulders (1728)
Original title: Portrait of Helena Fourment, Rubens' second wife, wearing a fur coat over her shoulders
kurzbeschreibung
Created in 1728, Frans van Stampart's etching shows Helena Fourment, the second wife of Peter Paul Rubens. The print focuses on her upright posture and the fur draped over her shoulders; she appears barefoot with her arms crossed.
Description
Helena Fourment stands straight, her gaze confident, arms folded across her chest. A fur rests on her shoulders, beneath which her upper body remains partly visible. Her long, loose hair is held back by a headband. A dark, plain background makes the figure stand out. Along the bottom edge of the sheet runs a Latin text.
Context
In 1630 Peter Paul Rubens married Helena Fourment, his second wife. The source was his painting known as 'Het Pelsken' ('The Little Fur'), dated around 1636–1638. Frans van Stampart made this etching in 1728—nearly a century after Rubens's death—as a reproductive print after a famous model.
Impact
The sheet feels intimate yet dignified; the barefoot, half-undressed figure gives it a sensual note. Fine lines and shading model the surfaces with plasticity, suggesting the texture of the fur as well as the softness of the skin.
Technique
This work is an etching: fine lines were bitten into a copper plate to bring out shadows and details. The trimmed sheet measures 23 × 16.2 cm, indicating a compact, intimate format.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)