Rubens diary, April 2nd 1632, 4 P.M.

For a couple of hours I went on making a portrait of a very good friend of mine, Gaspar Gevaert, generally called Gevartius, being a philosopher and a writer.
I admire this man for his extraordinary erudition and I am very thankful for what he did for me, especially for my children, when I was abroad about two years long.

In 1628, when I was a widower, our regent Isabella, whose court-painter I am and with whom I have a close relationship, begged me to be helpful in an important political question: be a diplomat for a while and assist at peace-negociations between Spain and England. I agreed and went to Madrid first to be initiated, later to London where the discussions took place.
Someone had to care for my two sons Albert and Nicolas. Mr. Gevaert did so; he was their second father then and he personally educated them perfectly.


The portrait I'm making now represents my friend sitting at a desk, holding an opened book in one hand, a feather to write with in the other. As Mr. Gevaert is interested in the ideas and the works of ancient philosophers, for instance of Marcus Aurelius, the roman emperor, I proposed to put this philosopher's bust on the desk behind the book.

Representing in "grisaille" marble, stone busts of roman emperors, philosophers, mythological figures: that's one of the subjects I like the best... I myself acquired several ones already, I keep these sculptures in my private semi-circular museum, part of my artgallery.

Today I painted Gaspar's imposing high ruff in fine flemish lace, surrounding completely my friend's intelligent head. It's a work of patience; carefully I have to imitate with pencil and white paint the numerous folds. Three times Mr. Gevaert stood model for his portrait, about one month ago. I then made the very detailed preparatory drawing, so that he didn't need to be present any longer, once I started painting.

My feeling is that this portrait is going to be one of the best I made the latest years.

Note:

In connection with Rubens, this Gevartius is known as the author who wrote the comments in a famous volume, edited at Plantin's Office, Antwerp, representing in detail all the arches of triumph decorating the streets of Antwerp in 1635, when a new regent was welcomed.

It was Rubens who made all the oil-sketches representing the arches, richly decorated with paintings and sculptures; many collaborators executed, under supervision of the master. The drawings for the engravings, represented in that book (called: "Pompa introitus Ferdinandi") were made by one of Rubens' pupils: Theodore Van Thulden.

The portrait of Gevartius by Rubens now is in the Antwerp Museum of Fine Arts.

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