Rubens

American  

[roo-buhnz, ry-buhns] / ˈru bənz, ˈrü bəns /

noun

1. Peter Paul 1577–1640, Flemish painter.

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Rubens British  

/ ˈruːbɪnz /

noun

1. Sir Peter Paul . 1577–1640, Flemish painter, regarded as the greatest exponent of the Baroque: appointed (1609) painter to Archduke Albert of Austria, who gave him many commissions, artistic and diplomatic. He was knighted by Charles I of England in 1629. His prolific output includes the triptych in Antwerp Cathedral, Descent from the Cross (1611–14), The Rape of the Sabines (1635), and his Self-Portrait (?1639)

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Other Word Forms

• Rubenesque adjective
• Rubensian adjective

Example Sentences

“These films make connections with the present because understanding the past is important for understanding today’s contradictions,” says Marcelo Rubens Paiva.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

A long-lost painting by 17th-century Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens sold at auction in France on Sunday for almost three million euros -- well beyond its asking price.

From Barron's • Nov. 30, 2025

In this chilling film about forced disappearances under Brazil’s former military dictatorship, Fernanda Torres plays Eunice Paiva, the real-life wife of former Brazilian congressman Rubens Paiva.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2025

As depicted in Salles’ eventual film of the same title, the patriarch of the family, former Congressman Rubens Paiva, was arrested and taken in for questioning on Jan. 20, 1971.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024

Constantijn admired the painter Rubens, and “discovered” a young artist named Rembrandt van Rijn, in several of whose works he subsequently appears.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan