Chinese visitors are now provided a chance to enjoy the classic works by Baroque masters Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) and Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641).

The exhibition Rubens, Van Dyck and the Flemish School of Painting - Masterpieces from the Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein opened Tuesday at the National Museum of China in Beijing.

For the first and also the largest exhibition of Flemish masterpieces in China, 100 artworks have been selected from the Liechtenstein Princely Collections, including oil paintings, graphic works and tapestries. 

Ruben's studies, oil painting and tapestry of Mars and Rhea Silvia are displayed side by side to show the process behind the masterpiece. Rubens' portrait of his 5-year-old daughter, Portrait of Clara Serena Rubens, is another highlight of this exhibition, with the vivid details and touching expression of the child's face.

The exhibition collects artwork from the beginning of Flemish art to its rich, sensual peak with Rubens and van Dyck and their successors, offering a coherent and comprehensive overview of the development of painting during the 16th and 17th centuries in the southern Netherlands.

Chen Lüsheng, the deputy director of the National Museum, said the high quality and completeness of the collections featured deeply impressed him.

"We decided to focus on the great splendidness of a period of time rather than just displaying how comprehensive their collections are," Chen said.

Johann Kraftner, the director of the Princely Collections, said that there is no other collections in the world with so many artworks by Flemish masters, which play a major role in the Collections.

"Our family is not only keen about collecting art," said Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein. "We would also like to give the general public opportunities to engage with these masterpieces."

The exhibition will continue until February 15, 2014.