The Gift of Rubens
Rethinking the Concept of Gift-Giving in Early Modern Diplomacy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11473229 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael Auwers (University of Antwerp, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 421-441 |
| Publication date | 2013-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European History Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0265-6914 • E-ISSN: 1461-7110 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0265691413489246 |
| OpenAlex | W2038787426 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
This article investigates Peter Paul Rubens’s diplomatic mission to the court of Charles I of England by order of Philip IV of Spain. Bringing together arguments from diplomatic history, anthropology and art theory, it revises the traditional view of Rubens as a heroic figure who brought peace to England and Spain, and honour to himself. Rubens’s mission to London should be considered instead as a gift sent by Philip IV to Charles I. The diplomatic culture of the early seventeenth century, which underscored the importance of painting as a means of communication and in which reciprocity was regarded as a fundamental mechanism, profoundly influenced the favourable outcomes of both Rubens’s and the Spanish court’s diplomatic strategies. It was not just Rubens’s personality and genius that brought about political change. Rather, it was the symbolic action of the gift and its subsequent materialization in a painting that Rubens donated to Charles I
Art history · Diplomacy · Genius · Honour · Order (exchange · Painting · Political science · Politics · Reciprocity (cultural anthropology · Sociology · Anthropology · Historical Art and Architecture Studies · Historical Art and Culture Studies · Historical Influence and Diplomacy · History · Law
The Diplomatic Agency of Art between Goa and Persia
Cultural Diplomacy
Diplomatic Gifts as Ordering Devices
Early Modern Diplomatic History
Gender and Materiality in Early Modern English Gloves
Introduction The Art of Embassy
Linnaeus’ tea cup
Addressing audiences abroad
The dynastic diplomacy of the Princely Count of Arenberg at the Stuart court in 1603
| Unique citing works | 9 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,9 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2021 (6) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 9 |