Art: Painter Diplomat

Few men in history have struck a happier balance with their age or won richer rewards in return than Flemish Artist Peter Paul Rubens, master of Europe's baroque style at its 17th century peak. A staunch Roman Catholic, unquestioning Royalist, shrewd businessman, Rubens was both a spectacularly successful diplomat, the trusted adviser of kings, and the most sought-after painter of his day, whose masterpieces today are treasured by every major museum of Europe. In an exhibition of his oil sketches and drawings, collected by Harvard's Fogg Museum and Manhattan's Pierpont Morgan Library and...

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