Frans Pourbus the Younger

Frans Pourbus the Younger, also known as Frans II, was a Flemish painter born in Antwerp in 1569 and died in Paris in 1622. He came from a family of painters, with his father being Frans Pourbus the Elder and his grandfather Pieter Pourbus. Pourbus was highly sought after by influential figures of his time, such as the Spanish Regents of the Netherlands, the Duke of Mantua, and Marie de' Medici, Queen of France. Many of his works can be found in prestigious museums worldwide, including the Louvre, the Prado, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Although he painted some history pieces, Pourbus was most famous for his portraits, which were highly pleasing to his patrons. His portraits rarely depicted dramatic situations or landscape backgrounds, but rather focused on the subjects' clothing, jewelry, and draperies. Pourbus completed his apprenticeship in Antwerp in 1591 and later worked for Archduke Albert and the Infanta Isabella in Brussels. In 1600, he was appointed court painter in Mantua by Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, and later moved to Paris at the request of Marie de Médici, for whom he worked until his death in 1622. Pourbus was buried on February 19, 1621/2, but the exact date of his death remains unknown.