For this month’s History of Court Painters instalment, we are sticking with another artist from the English court, though we are jumping back two centuries to the Stuart dynasty. Some of my favourite paintings are from the Stuart court, including one that we are going to explore today. Every court artist has a different path to their monarch and this month we begin our story in the Spanish Netherlands. Let’s explore Court Painters: Anthony van Dyck.
Anthony van Dyck’s Early Years
Anthony van Dyck was born to a silk merchant, Frans van Dyck, and his wife, Maria Cupers, in 1599. Van Dyck was the couple’s seventh child; he grew up in Antwerp, a city in the Spanish Netherlands at that time. Van Dyck began painting from a very young age and was formerly studying by the age of ten when he started studying under the Flemish Baroque artist Hendrick van Balen. By 1617, he was a member of the Antwerp painters’ guild.
Building a Relationship with Peter Paul Rubens
Historians have not conclusively proven when van Dyck first began studying and working under Peter Paul Rubens; it may have been as early as 1613. The working relationship would be an important period for van Dyck; Rubens was one of the most influential artists of the period and was exceptionally well-connected at several courts. (Yes, Rubens is the artist behind the spectacular and awe-inspiring panels on the ceiling at Banqueting House in Whitehall.) Notably, Rubens did not spend a great deal of time at any one court.
An Initial Visit to England and a Return to the Continent
Van Dyck first travelled to England in 1620 when George Villiers, the future-Duke of Buckingham invited him. He worked on pieces for King James I, the first Stuart monarch, and viewed several notable works that would later influence him while in England.
However, he left England after four months and went to Italy. This was another significant moment in van Dyck’s training as he was able to study under several Italian masters to better himself as a portraitist. He was popular with the Genoese aristocracy in particular, and was commissioned to create portraits for many different families. He also created a series of paintings depicting Saint Rosalia; she was Genoa’s plague saint and became an important religious figure for the city in 1624 when the plague ran rampant.
A Favourite of Charles I
King Charles I was a dedicated art collector and sought out numerous artists to join his court. At the beginning of his reign, Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi came to the English court, and Rubens himself visited in 1630. Van Dyck finally returned to England in 1632 and immediately took a prominent position. Charles knighted the artist in July, granted him an annual £200 pension, and named him Principal Painter in Ordinary. Van Dyck was the first artist to receive this title which was similar to the King’s Painter title used in the Tudor period.
Van Dyck created several notable portraits of The King, and of The Queen and their children. He painted Charles and Henrietta Maria’s daughter, Princess Mary, several times, including a portrait with her husband (the Prince of Orange). His portraits of Charles remain the best known “images” we have of him. He created multiple paintings of Charles on horseback, including a 1633 portrait of Charles with his equerry and the 1637-1638 equestrian portrait. The artist’s “Charles I in Three Positions” was actually sent to Rome for the Italian sculptor, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, to use as a model for a bust.
Van Dyck died in December 1641 and was buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral. His remains were destroyed in 1666 during the Great Fire of London, however.
Interested in more court painters?
Were you familiar with Anthony van Dyck’s work?
Cheers,
The Historian
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