Rubenshuis, on Wapper Square, was Pieter Paul Ruben’s home and studio for the last thirty years of his life, from 1610 to 1640. the city bought the premises just before World War II, but by then the house was little more than a ruin, and what can be seen today is the result of careful restoration.

It is divided into two sections. To the left of the entrance are the narrow rooms of the artist’s living quarters, equipped with period furniture. Behind this part of the house is the kunstkamer, or art gallery, where Rubens exhibited both his own and other artists’ work, and entertained his friends and wealthy patrons, such as the Archduke Albert and the Infanta Isabella. To the right of the entrance lies the main studio, a spacious salon where Rubens worked on his works. A signposted route guides visitors through the house.

The small garden is laid out formally and its charming pavilion dates from Rubens’ time. He was influenced by such architects of the Italian Renaissance as Vitruvius when he built the Italian Baroque addition to his house in the 1620s.