The Garden of Love

Rubens painted the Garden of Love for himself, inspired by his young wife Hélène Fourment, whom he married in 1630. With its extreme horizontal format, the scene in this woodcut made from two panels portrays a society under the influence of Venus, the Goddess of Love. The garden is full of people, with men and women in baroque dresses and a few putti bustling around. In the right foreground of the picture we see a couple, half reclining in conversation. They are Rubens and his wife. Another walking pair is being pushed towards the centre of the picture by a putto. Not much of the garden itself is visible due to the many figures, only part of a path bordered by a stone railing, a few trees and a building that is hinted at. To the left of the picture, three graces stand, symbolic of various forms of love: ecstatic, considerate and maternal love. Moreover, numerous signs of marriage can be identified: bridal flowers are visible scattered across the meadow, while one of the putti carries the torch of Hymen, the God of Love.