Antwerp's City Hall was a Renaissance building. Murals depicting Antwerp's history could be seen in its grand hall, which looked exceedingly luxurious, in stark contrast to the cramped council chamber.
City Hall had been completed during the period of Spanish rule. The Spanish treated Belgium as an allied state; although it was not independent, it enjoyed a high degree of autonomy. Usually, a member of the Spanish royal family served as governor-general in Brussels, representing the King of Spain. The Council of State, Privy Council, and Finance Council assisted the governor-general. They possessed considerable autonomy in domestic affairs, but in foreign affairs, the three councils had to obey the state and military ministers stationed in Brussels rather than the governor-general.
Antwerp was Rubens's hometown. He had once served as an ambassador to Spain, and Georgiana was currently staying in his former residence. The Flemish people of his era all slept sitting up because they believed sleeping lying down made it easy to die, so the painter's own bed was very small. Georgiana had not stayed in his master bedroom either. Rubens had already been famous during his lifetime, and many nobles and artists came to visit him, so his home had many guest rooms. Georgiana chose a bedroom beside the atrium. Every night, she had to pass through his sitting room to reach her room. It contained not only works by Rubens himself, but also artworks gifted by his friends. In the main hall hung a mural on the theme of Eden, "Adam and Eve," several times larger than living people, making them look like Giants.
There was a legend about the origin of Antwerp's name. In ancient Rome, there had been a Giant named "ant" who extorted passing ships. A soldier chopped off the hand he used to demand