Frans Pourbus the Younger
Frans Pourbus the Younger or Frans Pourbus (II) (Antwerp, 1569 – Paris, 1622) was a Flemish painter, specialised in portrait painting. He was the third generation of a prominent family of religious and portrait painters.
Frans Pourbus the Younger | |
|---|---|
Detail from Charles d'Arenberg and Anne de Croy with family, possibly a self-portrait of the painter | |
| Born | c. September to November 1569 Antwerp |
| Died | buried on 19 February 1622 (aged 53) Paris |
| Nationality | Flemish |
| Known for | Portrait painting |
| Patron(s) | Archduke Albert and the Infanta Isabella; Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua; Marie de' Medici, Queen of France |
Pourbus was a successful court painter for, successively, the Archdukes in Brussels, the Gonzaga Duke of Mantua (1600-1609), and then the French court. The majority of his work was royal portraits, many full-length, but he also painted some altarpieces. He painted the Brussels-based Spanish Regents of the Netherlands, the Duke of Mantua and Marie de' Medici, Queen of France.
Pourbus produced portraits that were pleasing to his patrons, but somewhat static with no dramatic situations, or landscape backgrounds. He is noted for his depiction of costume, jewellery and draperies, as in his portrait of Henry IV of France (below).