Old Master Paintings
Old Master Paintings
The Property of a Gentleman
Follower of Sir Anthony van Dyck
Self portrait with a sunflower
Lot Closed
April 6, 02:05 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
The Property of a Gentleman
Follower of Sir Anthony van Dyck
Self portrait with a sunflower
oil on canvas
unframed: 65.5 x 77.9 cm.; 25¾ x 30⅝ in.
framed: 81.8 x 94.8 cm.; 32¼ x 37¼ in.
Thence by inheritance to Miss Buchan, West Sussex, by whom gifted in 1955 to
Dr Gerald Smyth (d. 1999);
Thence by inheritance to the present owners.
An early copy of the painting in the collection of the Duke of Westminster, Eaton Hall, Cheshire.1 The striking composition is presumed to date from Van Dyck's first years at the court of Charles I, where he arrived in 1632, and may have been designed to represent the artist's relationship with the King and his view of himself in the court circle. The gold chain that he draws out from his chest may be that given to Van Dyck by Charles I, in accordance with the warrant of 20 April 1633, appointing him 'principal painter'; though it is also an attribute of 'Pittura' ('Painting' personified).
The sunflower, a rare and expensive plant at the time, was a symbol of devotion, though whether it reflects the artist's feeling towards his sovereign and patron, to God, or to his own practice, is open to interpretation. A number of other early copies exist, including those at Berkeley Castle, Ham House and formerly at Ickworth, Suffolk.