The collection of the Sakha Republic National Art Museum includes a triple portrait of King Charles I of England, painted by an unknown artist based on an original by Anthony van Dyck.
Anthony van Dyck began painting the portrait of Charles I in the second half of 1635, when the king was in his prime. The portrait of the king was commissioned for the Italian sculptor Lorenzo Bernini who was to sculpt his bust, which is why the artist so carefully painted the monarch’s facial features from different angles. Van Dyck drew inspiration for the triple portrait from the Venetian painter Lorenzo Lotto: his “Portrait of a Goldsmith from Three Angles” was on display in the Royal Collection.
The triple portrait of Charles I is waist-length; the king is depicted in profile, en face and in three-quarter view. Each figure of the king is dressed in a differently colored doublet, but all have a large white lace collar of the finest workmanship. On the left, the king is painted in profile, wearing a black suit. With his left hand, he holds a satin ribbon with the Order of St. George hanging on it. In the center, the king is shown en face wearing a red doublet with the same order on a blue ribbon. On the right, the three-quarter view shows the king turned to the right: he holds a brownish-purple cloak with his right hand and wears a teardrop-shaped pearl earring on his lobe, a fashionable accessory of that time.
Charles was the king of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1625. By nature, the king was melancholic and loved art. He had a pleasant appearance and refined manners, at the same time the king was a very serious man. In the portrait, the artist, using color, light and shape, faithfully conveyed the character and aristocratic appearance of the monarch. The king’s eyes in the painting are full of hidden sadness, as if through the haze of time, he foresees the uprising, the shadow of Cromwell, and his death on the scaffold.
Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish painter, born in
Antwerp on March 22, 1599 into the family of a wealthy cloth merchant Frans van
Dyck. His father, recognizing his son’s artistic talent, sent him to study
under Hendrik van Balen. At the age of 14, Anthony received funds from his
father to open a workshop. At the age of 18, he was admitted into the Guild of
St. Luke. In 1627, van Dyck was invited to be a court painter for the Spanish
Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia. From 1632, he worked for King Charles I, where
he established the English portrait school of painting, developing a new style
that focused on the individual in a luxurious costume against a neutral
background, rather than rich interiors. Van Dyck’s followers emphasized the
individuality and noble appearance of the person portrayed.
