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Portrait 1937-39
Portrait of King Charles I (1600-1649)
Portrait 1937-39

Portrait of King Charles I (1600-1649)

DatePossibly 1700-1750
After work by Sir Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641)
OriginEngland
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsUnframed: 27 x 22in. (68.6 x 55.9cm) and Framed: 34 1/2 x 29 1/2in. (87.6 x 74.9cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1937-39
DescriptionA three-quarter length portrait of a dark-haired man in armour, standing and facing almost full front. His mustance and goatee are lighter brown than his hair, which is parted in the middle, shoulder length,and wavy. In his proper left hand, he holds a baton next to the hilt of his sword, which is sheathed and hanging by his side. His proper right hand rests on a luminous orb set on a draped table, only the upper edge of which is visible at lower left. A sceptre rests beside the orb, with a crown beyond it. The left side of the composition is filled with a blue, cloudy sky, the right side with a multi-colored, mostly red, brocaded drapery.
The 3 3/4-inch gilded frame must be examined more closely regarding its date of fabrication as of 10/15/2008. Moving from an outer (rear) edge of fish-scales, the cyma recta molding is ornamented with low relief arabesque carving followed by a plain flat by an anthemion repeat on the sight edge.

Label TextCharles I became king of England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1625, and soon married Henrietta Maria, daughter of the king of France. A power struggle between Charles and Parliament led to the English Civil War in 1642, establishment of a commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell, and beheading of the king in 1649. Henrietta Maria took refuge in France.

These paintings are 18th-century copies of original works by Flemish artist Sir Anthony Van Dyck. The king and queen honored him with many special favors, including a knighthood. An estimated 40 portraits of Charles are credited to Van Dyck.

What’s the Connection?
Charles I appointed Sir William Berkeley governor of Virginia. Berkeley and other wealthy Virginians remained loyal to the doomed king during the English Civil War.

InscribedIn gilt lettering in the upper left corner (in a combination of lettering styles) is: "Charles 1. 1600-1649./After Vandyke". N. B. The second line was painted over at some point before CWF acquisition in 1937, when the two paintings (1937-39 and its companion, 1937-40) were sold as Van Dyck's work. The date and reason for the overpainting are undocumented. The second line was uncovered in routine CWF conservation work, probably in the late 1990s. (No report of this work was found in the object file 10/15/08).
ProvenanceThe so-titled "approbation note" from CWF's source, Lenygon & Morant, Inc., New York, NY, of 10 November 1936, states that this portrait and its companion, 1937-39, were "from the collection of the Marquis of Waterford."