BOLTON Museum and Art Gallery's international reputation is enhanced this weekend with the start of a major Rubens exhibition.

Staff at the art gallery were delighted when they managed to secure the loan of 80 important woodcuts and engravings created by the master at his Antwerp workshops in the 17th century.

The works are coming from a huge collection held by the Siegerland Museum in Siegen, Germany, Ruben's birthplace, and in exchange the Bolton Art Gallery has loaned the museum their collection of British watercolour paintings.

Bolton people will be able to get their first look at the huge variety of work created by the Baroque master when the "Rubens and his Workshop Engravers" exhibition opens on Saturday.

In addition to the prints from Germany the National Gallery in London has loaned Bolton two important original Rubens oil paintings "The Nativity" and "The Brazen Serpent".

"The Nativity" is a huge three-metre high work which will dominate the exhibition and is particularly appropriate as the show will continue over Christmas until January 6.

Organisers have also set up a replica of Ruben's studio, complete with printing press to give visitors an idea of how the copies were produced.

"It is going to be a really lovely exhibition," said museum expert Lucy Whetstone. "We are really fortunate to have got these international loans." RUBENS FACTFILE Rubens was one of the 17th Century's most prolific and highly regarded artists.

Although well known for his paintings of voluptuous naked women, much of his work was religious commissions and he also produced landscapes and mythological scenes.

"He was a businessman and the religious stuff is what was going to sell at the time," said Lucy Whetstone.

Rubens was born in 1577 in Germany to an Antwerp family. In 1600 he went to Italy to be court painter to the Duke of Mantua and travelled extensively around Europe studying the works of other artists such as Titian, Michelangelo and Raphael.

After his mother's death in 1608 he settled in Antwerp and set up a studio, with assistants producing works under his direction to satisfy the enormous demand for his paintings.

In 1634 he was commissioned by Charles I to paint the ceiling of the Banqueting Hall in Whitehall, London, and was also a favourite artist of Philip IV of Spain.

He was also interested in politics and was sent on many diplomatic missions by the Governors of the Netherlands. Rubens was knighted by both Charles I and Philip IV.

In 1630, four years after the death of his first wife, he married again, a 16-year-old girl who became the subject of many of his portraits. Rubens died 10 years later.