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Van Mildert's work is unconceivable without the influence exercised upon him by Rubens. His close relationship with Rubens is shown first of all by the fact that Rubens and his second wife, Helena Fourment, were godparents to two of Van Mildert's children. Of much greater importance is, however, that for the whole of his career Van Mildert worked from preliminary studies by Rubens.
Rubens provided the design drawings for Van Mildert's earlier known work, the wooden allegorical figures of Honos, Virtus and Doctrina. These show that he interpreted Rubens's early Baroque plasticity in a style which was essentially Mannerist, as is obvious from the elongated poses and frontal presentation of the statues.
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