Who painted Girl with a Fan?

Girl with a Fan was painted by Peter Paul Rubens in 1612.

Where can I see Girl with a Fan?

Girl with a Fan is held by Kunsthistorisches Museum.

What movement is Girl with a Fan?

Girl with a Fan is associated with Flemish Baroque painting.

Can I buy a print of Girl with a Fan?

Museum-quality prints of Girl with a Fan are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Girl with a Fan

Peter Paul Rubens , 1612

Girl with a Fan is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Peter Paul Rubens. It dates from 1612 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

While the specific identity of the sitter remains undefined in available records, the inclusion of the fan serves as a central attribute within the composition.

The painting depicts a young adult woman holding a hand fan, presented as a formal portrait. The work functions as an interpretation of Titian's earlier composition, known as Portrait of a Lady in White, adapting the Italian master's iconography for a seventeenth-century context. While the specific identity of the sitter remains undefined in available records, the inclusion of the fan serves as a central attribute within the composition. The piece represents a continuation of Venetian portrait traditions through Rubens' engagement with established artistic models.

Technique & Style

Created in 1612, Girl with a Fan is an oil painting executed on canvas by Peter Paul Rubens. The work functions as a portrait depicting a young adult woman holding a hand fan, stylistically modeled after Titian's Portrait of a Lady in White. The painting measures 123.5 cm in height and 100.5 cm in width.

It is currently held within the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, having previously belonged to Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria.

History & Provenance

Girl with a Fan was painted in 1612 by Peter Paul Rubens, who based the composition on a lost Titian prototype known as Portrait of a Lady in White.

The work entered the Habsburg collections and is documented in the ownership of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, later forming part of the holdings of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, where it remains.

Overview

Created in 1612, Girl with a Fan is an oil painting by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. Executed during the height of the Flemish Baroque, the work portrays a young woman in an elaborate white gown, holding a decorative handheld fan. The composition is set against a dark, unadorned backdrop that isolates the figure and emphasizes her attire and pose.

Context

Rubens produced this portrait amid a prolific period that included altarpieces, landscapes, and narrative scenes. Portraiture offered him a venue to demonstrate his skill in rendering individual likenesses and fashionable attire for aristocratic patrons. The work reflects contemporary trends in Flemish court portraiture, where accessories such as fans served both decorative and symbolic functions.