(In the Pinakothek, Munich)
A remarkably good example of Van Dyck's power of depicting female
character. Whenever he is faced with a sitter in whom he is interested
he suited his technique to the points he wished to emphasise. It is
the possession of this versatility which enables him to infuse so much
seductive charm into his women portraits and such trenchant vigour into
those of men.
[Illustration: Plate VII.]
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It is only in such superb presentations of Charles as that in the
Louvre, at Windsor, and in the National Gallery that we are enabled to
judge of his capabilities at this period. He now almost entirely
deserted historical painting. There was no demand for it in England,
and his attention was exclusively devoted to portraiture. Moreover, if
we may judge from the ever-increasing facility with which he was wont
to paint, it may be fairly said that his attention during these years
was being diverted from painting to pleasure. He never lost interest
in his art, but he was impelled to adopt a more facile manner by the
pressure of his engagements and his ever-increasing expenses.
He kept a country house at Eltham in Kent, where he spent the summer--a
form of extravagance more defensible than many in which he was
accustomed to indulge.
Meanwhile, he had contracted a marriage with Mary Ruthven,
granddaughter of Lord Ruthven, Earl of Cowrie, by whom he had one
daughter. His wife, however, brought him no dowrie, but was considered
one of the greatest beauties of her time. Soon after his marriage he
left England with his wife for the purpose of showing her his native
country. They travelled for some time, visiting his family and
friends. Then the idea occurred to him that he would proceed to Paris,
with a view of sharing, if possible, in the contemplated decoration of
the Louvre, and thus win laurels equal to those Rubens had gained by
his works in the Luxembourg. He arrived, however, too late: Nicholas
Poussin had been brought specially from Rome for the purpose, and the
work was in hand. Disappointed in this, and still desiring to execute
some great work by which he might secure a lasting renown, he returned
to England and proposed to the king, through the medium of his old and
trusty friend Sir Kenelm Digby, to embellish the wall of the Banqueting
House at Whitehall with the history of the Order of the Garter. The
ceiling of this sumptuous chamber had already been painted by Rubens,
and Van Dyck no doubt considered that his work would blend admirably
with that of his master. The sum he asked for, £8000, although
considerable, would no doubt not have stood in the way of the execution
of the project had it occurred at an earlier date in the reign of the
unfortunate Charles. The kingdom, however, was already in a turbulent
condition. Funds were scarce, and such as existed might have to be
employed at any moment in raising an army to defend the king's cause.
Charles was now occupied in a life-and-death struggle with his people,
and had no time to devote to artistic pursuits. Van Dyck consequently
waited in vain for an answer, and it is to be supposed that meanwhile
commissions did not come to him as easily as formerly. Young as he
still was, the effects of his past luxurious life were beginning to
tell upon him, and, coupled with the disappointment occasioned by the
rejection of his proposal, contributed to bring on gout. He began to
have financial worries too, but these can hardly have been sufficiently
great to have troubled him much, for he left at his death property to
the value of £20,000. He therefore turned his attention, probably in
emulation, or by the advice, of his friend Sir Kenelm Digby, to the
pursuit of the philosopher's stone, and, needless to say, the results
of his experiments and the money he expended upon them only aggravated
the state of his health. He rapidly sickened, and died in London on
December 9th, 1641, when forty-two years of age. He was accorded a
magnificent funeral in St. Paul's Cathedral, and was buried in a tomb
beside that of John of Gaunt.
V