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What duties did Peter Paul Rubens perform for Duke Vincenzo I Gonzaga of Mantua?
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Peter Paul Rubens
Peter Paul Rubens, self-portrait in oil, c. 1638; in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
When Peter Paul Rubens was hired by Vincenzo I Gonzaga, the Duke of Mantua, his primary responsibility was to create copies of Renaissance paintings, specifically portraits of court beauties.1
Beyond his work as a painter, Rubens also served the Duke in a diplomatic capacity. In 1603, the Duke sent him on a mission to Spain to deliver a shipment of paintings to King Philip III.1