Overview
The Flemish Baroque painter Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) first came to Britain in 1620 at the behest of King James. When James died in 1625, his successor, Charles I, recognized van Dyck's skill in capturing the royal image. After a sojourn in Italy, the painter returned to England in 1632, was almost immediately knighted and provided with property and a pension, and became the chief painter of the court.
Imbued with an understated authority and relaxed elegance, van Dyck's portraits of the royal family were an instant success. Charles I was depicted as both a powerful sovereign and "nature's gentleman." Gorgeously illustrated, this comprehensive volume is the most thorough examination of van Dyck's years in Britain to date, and investigates the intriguing ways in which van Dyck influenced British art and culture in the centuries following his death. Well-known contributors include scholars and art historians Christopher Brown, Diana Dethloff, Emilie Gordenker, Kevin M. Sharpe, Susan Sloman, and Aileen Ribero.
Synopsis
The Flemish Baroque painter Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) first came to Britain in 1620 at the behest of King James. When James died in 1625, his successor, Charles I, recognized van Dyck's skill in capturing the royal image. After a sojourn in Italy, the painter returned to England in 1632, was almost immediately knighted and provided with property and a pension, and became the chief painter of the court.
Imbued with an understated authority and relaxed elegance, van Dyck's portraits of the royal family were an instant success. Charles I was depicted as both a powerful sovereign and "nature's gentleman." Gorgeously illustrated, this comprehensive volume is the most thorough examination of van Dyck's years in Britain to date, and investigates the intriguing ways in which van Dyck influenced British art and culture in the centuries following his death. Well-known contributors include scholars and art historians Christopher Brown, Diana Dethloff, Emilie Gordenker, Kevin M. Sharpe, Susan Sloman, and Aileen Ribero.
Jennifer H. Pollock - Library Journal
This richly illustrated catalog corresponds with an exhibition at Tate Britain of work by Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck that portrays the royal families and members of the court. Both the exhibition and catalog focus specifically on the two periods van Dyck spent in London: his brief visit in 1620 to the court of King James I and his more lengthy visit to serve Charles I, beginning in 1632 and ending almost ten years later with his death in London in 1641. Hearn (curator, 16th- and 17th-century British art, Tate; Nicholas Hilliard) and other distinguished scholars and art historians including Christopher Brown, Diana Dethloff, Emilie Gordenker, Kevin M. Sharpe, Susan Sloman, and Aileen Ribeiro contribute erudite essays. Complete with 200 full-color illustrations, this catalog is pretty enough to sit on any coffee table; the text, endnotes, bibliography, list of works exhibited, "Loans" and "Lenders and Credits" lists, and index make it fit for serious academic inquiry. A great addition to collections focused on early modern England.
Editorials
Library Journal
This richly illustrated catalog corresponds with an exhibition at Tate Britain of work by Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck that portrays the royal families and members of the court. Both the exhibition and catalog focus specifically on the two periods van Dyck spent in London: his brief visit in 1620 to the court of King James I and his more lengthy visit to serve Charles I, beginning in 1632 and ending almost ten years later with his death in London in 1641. Hearn (curator, 16th- and 17th-century British art, Tate; Nicholas Hilliard) and other distinguished scholars and art historians including Christopher Brown, Diana Dethloff, Emilie Gordenker, Kevin M. Sharpe, Susan Sloman, and Aileen Ribeiro contribute erudite essays. Complete with 200 full-color illustrations, this catalog is pretty enough to sit on any coffee table; the text, endnotes, bibliography, list of works exhibited, "Loans" and "Lenders and Credits" lists, and index make it fit for serious academic inquiry. A great addition to collections focused on early modern England.
—Jennifer H. Pollock