Sir Peter Paul Rubens (Siegen 1577-1640 Antwerp)

The figure represented on the left of this drawing has been tentatively identified with Henry VII (circa 1275-circa 1313), the first Holy Roman Emperor of the House of Luxembourg. Although on an unusual grey paper, the drawing most likely comes from the so-called Costume Book. The sketchbook was assembled around 1609-12, in the years after Rubens' return from Italy. The larger part has been incorporated into an 18th-century binding and is now preserved in the British Museum. A number of loose sheets (such as this one) were dispersed over the centuries. The original compilation contained around 250 drawings after 15th- and 16th-century portraits of Flemish and Burgundian nobles in contemporary clothes. Rubens copied his figures from widely-circulated model books as well as works by other masters. The Costume Book was most likely intended as a highly personal visual repertory of early costumes which the painter could use at his discretion in his own paintings.