There never was a time in the history of the English Court when such
opportunities for advancement were presented to an artist possessing
the genius of Van Dyck as during the reign of Charles I. He was one of
the few monarchs of England who recognised the civilising influence of
art on the nation and encouraged it in a manner quite beyond his means.
It mattered not of what period, school, or nationality a work happened
to be, so long as it possessed a high degree of merit, it appealed
strongly to the king. We have only to consider the superb collection
he brought together, only to be ruthlessly dispersed by the
Commonwealth, to gauge the refinement of his taste. Many of the
priceless possessions of foreign galleries formed part of his
collection, and if England had only been in a position to retain her
hold upon them we should no doubt to-day be in possession of the finest
assemblage of Italian art in the world. I need only enumerate the
sumptuous portrait of Alfonso of Ferrara and Laura d'Dianti and the
"Entombment," by Titian, in the Louvre; the portrait of Erasmus, by
Holbein, in the Louvre, and the marvellous portrait of a young woman,
for so many years wrongly ascribed to the same master, at the Hague;
the portrait of Albrecht Dürer by himself in the Prado, and the two
masterpieces by Geertgen van St. Jans in the Imperial Gallery at
Vienna, to demonstrate the quality of his many possessions. In England
we still have retained a few of his treasures. Conspicuous among them
are those masterpieces of Andrea Mantegna, the "Triumph of Julius
Cæsar," at Hampton Court, the Albrecht Dürer, and the Lorenzo Lotto, in
the same gallery, together with the "Mercury, Cupid and Venus," by
Correggio, in the National Gallery.
Needless to say that a collector, who had sufficient taste to bring
together such a notable assemblage, would demand a very high degree of
talent indeed in a painter who was working for the Court. Charles had,
moreover, been brought into contact with the brilliant achievements of
Rubens, and would in consequence expect a great deal from a pupil whose
merits he had heard so extolled.
The portrait of Nicholas Lanière appealed to him immediately. He saw
in Van Dyck a man whose performances, even at this early age, far
surpassed those of any painter then working in England. Charles, who
immensely admired the portraits of Rubens, saw in those of his pupil an
Italian quality lacking in the former, and this would additionally
attract him.
Van Dyck's reception was most flattering. He was given a lodging at
Blackfriars amongst the other painters, and was set to work immediately
for the king. Charles was quite as much taken with the courtly
qualities and conversation of his newly-found painter as by his talent,
and greatly enjoyed his company. He was accustomed to go to
Blackfriars by water, and to chat with Van Dyck whilst having his
portrait painted. From this time date the innumerable portraits of
Charles and his Queen, Henrietta Maria, with which we are so familiar.
The fashion thus set by the king was speedily taken up by his Court,
and the nobility of England competed with one another for the privilege
of having their portraits painted by the brilliant Fleming.
Soon after his arrival Van Dyck received the honour of knighthood, and,
in addition to being appointed painter to his Majesty, had an annuity
of £200 per annum settled upon him.
The quantity of commissions which now flowed in upon him was
prodigious, and he was sorely taxed to keep pace with them. He was
enabled in consequence to raise his prices considerably without in the
least diminishing the patronage bestowed upon him. He commenced to
entertain on a lavish scale, and his table was frequented by the
highest in the land. It is said that after occupying the morning in
painting portraits he would invite his sitters to dinner, and then,
from the study he had made of their countenances during the meal, would
work upon the portraits again in the afternoon.
Although Van Dyck had been accustomed to good society and living, the
overwhelming good fortune which was now his lot appears to have
developed bad habits in him. He soon acquired luxurious habits, which
finally undermined his health. Passionately fond of music, he
liberally encouraged all the professors of that art, and gratuitously
painted the portraits of its most celebrated exponents.
The demands upon his purse at this time must have been enormous, and in
order to increase his output, and consequently his income, he had
recourse to the means he had seen Rubens so successfully employ in
Antwerp. He brought together a school of painters, who worked under
his directions. The portraits dating from this period consequently not
only show the marked deterioration in his technique, but also, beyond
the heads and hands and a few other essential details, contained but
little of his own work. His assistants were so thoroughly trained that
they were enabled to paint the draperies and their accessories in a
style which welded perfectly with his own brushwork.
These facts have to be carefully remembered whenever we are
contemplating a work of the English period of Van Dyck, for were we to
form our judgment solely upon the portraits he had painted prior to
going to England we should reject many of the former as not being from
his hand. There is further the added difficulty that his assistants
executed pictures in his manner on their own account, and it is only by
the lack of that spark of genius he was enabled to infuse in those
parts of a portrait he executed with his own hand that we are enabled
to differentiate between them. Many of the portraits of the king and
queen which were sent as presents all over Europe were but the
productions of his studio.
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