The Portrait of Clara Serena belongs to a series of personal portraits of Rubens’ children. The girl was the artist’s favorite first child and died three years before the death of her mother, Isabella Brant. Later on, the painter had three more daughters with Helena Fourment, his second wife. Little is known about Clara Serena’s life. This painting, as identified by experts, resembles the portrait of Isabella Brant by Rubens (now in the British Museum), as well as a portrait of the girl at an earlier age from the Prince of Lichtenstein’s private collection.

The Portrait of Clara Serena is a very personal painting with a unique character, which takes a special place in Rubens’s work. It was not intended for public display and, unlike the other portraits, was painted without preparatory sketches. The face, depicted with great care and detail, shows the same psychological complexity as the other completed portraits. The disarming straight look of Clara Serena was not typical of portrait painting at the time. It reflects both the bond between father and daughter and Rubens’ deep affection for his child.