Pourbus [key], family of Flemish painters. Pieter Pourbus, 1510–84, painted portraits and religious subjects. His Last Judgment is in the Bruges Museum; the Metropolitan Museum has his Portrait of a Young Woman. His son, Frans Pourbus, 1545–81, was a pupil and follower of Frans Floris. In Ghent there is an altarpiece executed by him. He is also known for his fine portraits. His son, Frans Pourbus, c.1569–1622, was a favorite portrait painter in the Brussels and Gonzaga courts and, from 1609 until his death, in the court of Marie de' Medici. His portrait of her (Louvre) is one of his best-known works. A leading mannerist, he vied with Rubens for commissions.
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