Although these Flemish Baroque painters are often compared to each other, all three artists are very different and must be considered separately as individuals. Rubens was considered a humanist and van Dyck came from a patrician family. Both artists were culturally literate, had travelled extensively and spoke several languages. Unlike his contemporary colleagues, Jordaens had never travelled abroad to study Italian painting. Unlike them, Jordaens was considered to be less tied to court painting. It is often said that his works defied any intellectuality or classical education, due to the classification of his paintings in genre painting. However, this must be contradicted: Jordaens did indeed spend his entire life in Antwerp, apart from a few short trips to inland rural areas or to Holland (The Hague) for picture commissions - but like Rubens, Jordaens also painted altarpieces, mythological and allegorical scenes. Jordaens was often inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses, which shows his familiarity with ancient themes very well. Jordaens was not only a successful painter, but was also known for his design of tapestries. After the death of Rubens in 1640, Jordaens established himself as Antwerp's most important artist and was in great demand for many large commissions (also from important courts).