Portrait of Helena Fourment, Rubens' second wife, wearing a fur coat over her shoulders 1728

Curator: The artwork before us, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is an engraving by Frans van Stampart from 1728, after Peter Paul Rubens' original painting. It’s known as "Portrait of Helena Fourment, Rubens' second wife, wearing a fur coat over her shoulders." Editor: The way the light models her skin against the dark fur, there is an intimate feel, a sense of classical repose, but… almost interrupted. Her gesture seems at odds with the implied setting. Curator: The image holds significant cultural weight, especially concerning representations of the female form in Baroque art. Consider the recurring theme of the "Venus Pudica" – the modest Venus covering her breasts. Here, that classical gesture takes on a complex layer, since Helena, as Rubens' wife, occupied a particular place in his artistic world. Editor: The composition directs our gaze deliberately: from her direct, unwavering expression, along the lines of her arm and body, leading to her feet. I keep coming back to the lines; the medium being intaglio heightens their effect to give the piece almost palpable definition and detail. It emphasizes both texture and shape to considerable emotional effect. Curator: Absolutely. Rubens consistently painted Helena, embedding her image into his artistic identity. By engraving her likeness and circulating it, Stampart partakes in the visual continuation of Rubens' oeuvre and its underlying emotional, romantic power, well into the eighteenth century. We are looking, in essence, at a brand legacy. Editor: This brings into sharp relief the idea of "presence," doesn't it? Both literal, from Helena's gaze, but also metaphoric: of Rubens, and the artistic style and philosophy he epitomized in the artistic community. It certainly is a powerful reminder of how imagery reverberates, decades beyond the lifetime of its maker. Curator: Yes, it does remind us of that lasting power, of cultural continuity in the arts. Editor: Stampart’s engraving truly brings Rubens’ enduring presence, vividly into focus.