The Three Graces

A closer look

The three nude women stand in a circular, dance-like group, their arms entwined, their glances meeting, their weight shifting from one foot to the other. Their soft skin glows with pinks and pearly whites against a green landscape, a flowered garland hanging above and a fountain with a statue of Cupid to the right. The figure on the left is thought to be modelled on Rubens's young second wife, Helena Fourment, who appears in many of his late works. Rubens kept the painting for himself until his death.