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| Artist | After Dyck, Anthony van (Flemish painter, 1599-1641, active in England) |
| Previous attributions | Previously attributed to Dyck, Anthony van (Flemish painter, 1599-1641, active in England) Previously attributed to Janssens van Ceulen, Cornelis (English painter, 1593-1661) |
| Title | Charles I (1600-49) |
| Date earliest | probably about 1632 |
| Date latest | about 1640 |
| Material | oil on canvas |
| Measurements | 205.8 x 124.8 cm |
| Inscription | front lr 'King Charles 1st / laudesque manebunt' |
| Description | Charles I, the younger son of James I succeeded to the throne at his father's death in 1625, two months later he married the Catholic Princess Henrietta Maria, sister of Louis XIII of France: their wedding angered Parliament and eventually led to the outbreak of Civil War in 1642 which resulted in Charles' execution in 1649. Dressed in a black doublet with slashed sleeves and white lace cuffs and ruff, in this portrait Charles is shown wearing the blue ribbon of the Order of the Garter. His left hand rests on the hilt of his sword while his crown is seen to the right of the picture, he is accompanied by a mastiff dog. These details combine to make a powerful image of the ruler, the crown indicating his royal status, the sword alluding to his military might and the dog emblematising his fidelity to the nation he ruled over. Although previously attributed to Sir Anthony Van Dyck, this painting is now recognised as an early copy by a British artist, after a now lost original of 1632 by the Flemish master who was the chief painter at Charles I's court. Since the mid-nineteenth century this painting was also attributed to the court painter called the king's 'Picture drawer' Cornelis Janssens the elder, a proposal that is now rejected. |
| Subject | portrait (Charles I) |
| Collection | English Heritage (Kenwood House) |
| Current accession number | 88019184 |
| Previous accession number(s) | 34; 356 |
| Acquisition details | Given to the Nation by the Honourable Mrs Grenville Howard on the request of her mother-in-law Margaret Hyde, 19th Countess of Suffolk 1974. |
| Provenance | At Charlton Park by 1697 when listed in the deed of gift: Eight whole lenghts where of one Charles the first by Vandike; then by descent until 1974. |
| Principal publications | Warner, R., Excursions from Bath, 1801, p. 232-41 (as Van Dyck); Britton, J., The Beauties of England and Wales, XV, Wiltshire, 1814, pp. 623-5; Neale, J. P., Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, V, 1822; Harding, G. P., Lists of Portraits, Pictures in Various Mansions of the United Kingdom, MS at National Portrait Gallery before 1854; Waagen, G., Treasures of Art in Great Britain, III, 1854, pp. 221-2 (as Johnson); Richardson M. E., The Lion and The Rose (The Great Story), 1922; Sopes, C. C., 'Daniel Mytens in England', The Burlington Magazine, XVII, June, 1910, pp. 160-3; Jacob, J., The Suffolk Collection: Catalogue of Paintings, London, 1974, no. 34. |
| Notes | Several verions of this painting exist: Anderson Galleries, New York 28 March 1935, no. 64 (as Van Dyck and his atelier) full length, without trees over the dog; Christie's, London, 24 May 1935, lot 154, full length with lace collar in place of the ruff; Longleat House, Wiltshire (as Mytens), three-quarter length without dog; Christie's, London, 19 February 1954, lot 85, half length. |
| Rights status | Copyright English Heritage |
| Author | Francesco Nevola |
