Recent conservation has revealed this to be a fine original work of Rubens’s early maturity. In the past it was recognised as the Archduke Albert (1559 – 1621), whose name still appears on the frame. More recently it has been identified as a lesser representative of Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The city of Antwerp is depicted in the background of the painting. Acquired in 1723 by George I, who commissioned the extensions to the canvas and a frame by William Kent, which was exchanged for this rococo example in the 1830s. Cat. 136