Anthony van Dyck
Biography: Sir Anthony Van Dyck first came to Britain in 1620. In 1632 he was appointed Court painter to Charles I and later knighted. He became one of the most popular portrait painters of the period, producing portraits of most of the English aristocracy prior to the English Civil War.
Van Dyck was buried in Old St Paul’s Cathedral, the Latin inscription on his grave reading (in translation): ‘....while he lived he gave immortality to many. Charles I, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, provided this monument for Sir Anthony van Dyck’.
Art:
The artist and his studio were popular with the Court and in particular with Charles I, owing in part to the flattering manner in which he painted his subjects. Regardless of the reality of the subject’s physique, they were all made to appear heroic and regal in their pose and stature. By changing the ratio of head to body size, short plump lords and ladies were made to appear slim and elegant.
The formulaic aspect of Van Dyck’s work, where the same pose is endlessly repeated, leant itself to the studio production of art. He would produce a sketch along with copious notes of his subjects. These would be passed to his assistants to produce the painting with Van Dyck completing the finishing touches. It has been said that a Van Dyck portrait is instantly recognisable as the sitters, and their poses, all look very similar, a fact proven by the similarity between the Stanley portrait and several others from the same period.
Occupation / profession: artist
Gender: Male
Date of birth: 1599
Place of birth: Antwerp, Flanders
Date of death: 1641
Place of death: London, England
Name Variant: van, Anthony