Dr. Peter Paul Rubens

2/2 Another elegant company parading in front of that semi-Venice, because once Louis de Caullery had the setting worked out he figured he'd keep using it!

Fantasy view of a city that looks like Venice but, upon inspection, isn't. Maybe one of Calvino's Invisible Cities? By Louis de Caullery, whose day is today.

2/2 Outdoors, indoors, everybody in Louis de Caullery's world is dancing. Because today is his day!

Today's artist w/out a (known) birthday: Louis de Caullery, Flemish painter of elegant places & people. Here, dance in a garden, to celebrate his day.

2/2 Metalsmith in his workshop at dusk, focussed on his tasks. As depicted by Egbert van der Poel, whose day was today.

Wild nights in the Dutch Golden Age: festivity by torchlight in Delft, painted by Egbert van der Poel. Today has been his day.

2/2 Nearly two hundred years later, an enclosed winding staircase also intrigued Caspar David Friedrich in 1825.

Passages in a tower. Marvelous (and very calm) work by Egbert van der Poel of Delft, who tended more toward catastrophe. He was born on this day in 1621..

Fire in the Amsterdam Town Hall, attributed (by some) to Egbert van der Poel. And why not? He'd never let a good fire go to waste.

Aftermath of the great Delft explosion of 1654: survivors, in state of shock, outside their ruined city. By Egbert van der Poel, documenter of disaster, who was born OTD 1621.

2/2 Whee! Church goes up in flames! Exciting scene by Egbert van der Poel, who loved a good catastrophe. Born on this day in 1621.

Egbert van der Poel (born OTD 1621): Explosion of the Delft powder magazine in 1654. Great disaster of Dutch Golden Age.

Pillage of a village at night. One of many depressing scenes of urban destruction by Egbert van der Poel of Delft, born OTD 1621.

3/3 Delft was a city beset by disaster. Here it is after the great fire of 1536. Not much left! Egbert van der Poel (whose day is today) documented devastation of the 1654 explosion.

2/2 Woe and tragedy after the great Delft explosion of 1654, that killed Carel Fabritius (of Goldfinch fame) and many others. And was immortalized by Egbert van der Poel, whose day is today.

Disaster of Delft: gunpowder store explodes in 1654, leveling nearly the entire city, & Egbert van der Poel records over and over the horror & shock of the survivors. Today is his explosive day.

2/2 Early hours of a Dutch winter morning: fish market by Egbert van der Poel of Delft, born OTD 1621.

Shoppers at the fish market in Delft, 1650, by Egbert van der Poel. He was born on this day in 1621.

2/2 Even Egbert van der Poel’s ordinary buildings seem to have been struck by catastrophe, as with this farmyard. Today is his day.

Born on this day in 1621, in Delft, Egbert van der Poel. Famed for chronicling disaster & destruction. So appropriate! Here, village being plundered and burned at night.

Sacra Conversazione, from Rosso Fiorentino's creepy & weird period, 1521. Well, we all experiment in our 20s, right? And he was born OTD in 1495.

3/3 Stern, solid beauty of dead Christ's guardian angels, from Rosso Fiorentino. Today is his day.

2/2 Dead? Or not? Or what? Rosso's Christ, 1520s.

More from Rosso's wild 20s: Dead Christ w/ Angels. Intensely spiritual? Or just plain kinky? You decide. Today is Rosso's birthday.

There’s Not Enough Women Beheading Men in Art Anymore Saturday Night Social: Renaissance artists seemed to understand something today’s art world doesn’t: sometimes a woman simply needs to hold up a freshly removed head.

For @peterpaulrubens.bsky.social

2/2 The creation of Eve, 1524, in Santa Maria della Pace, Rome. By Rosso Fiorentino, who was born on this day in 1495. Another offering for #InternationalWomensDay

May I present Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia: smart, athletic, successful ruler, had good taste (my patron!) & generally cool. For #internationalwomensday

2/2 Not intense, just bored: Man with a helmet, painted by Rosso Fiorentino.

An incredibly intense young man, painted in 1517 by Rosso Fiorentino, the red-headed Florentine. Born on this day in 1495.

2/2 Jethro’s daughters: a strange set of dolls, as envisioned by young Rosso Fiorentino. Oddly, Bluesky didn’t label the whole picture as porny but surely this detail?