Rubens's St. Andrew 'de los Flamencos'

Abigail D. Newman

Peter Paul Rubens's 'Martyrdom of St. Andrew' has hung in Madrid's Flemish charitable hospital (now a foundation) since it was completed. Inspiring countless Spanish artists, the painting still hangs in its original, exuberantly carved frame. Remarkably, we know the names of the two framemakers. Both painting and frame are at the center of a network of artists and businessmen, testifying to the strong ties that bound Antwerp and Madrid in the seventeenth century. While some of these individuals' stories have long been known, others have not and are freshly illuminated here.