Family Exchange of the princesses between Spain and France on 9 november 1615

The two young women at the centre were about to become each other's sisters-in-law twice over. In November 1615 Anne of Austria, daughter of the king of Spain, crossed into France to marry Louis XIII, while his sister Elisabeth went the other way to marry Anne's brother, the future Philip IV. Marie de' Medici had arranged both matches as regent, a double tie between the two crowns. Rubens turns the exchange at the frontier into a ceremony conducted by two figures who personify the kingdoms, each taking charge of a bride. The museum identifies Hispania by her robe of yellow and red. It is she who will lead Elisabeth, the French princess, over to the Spanish side.