(Antwerp 1599–1641 London)
The five eldest Children of Charles I: Charles Prince of Wales(1630–1685), Mary, Princess Royal(1631–1660), James, Duke of York(1633–1650), Princess Elizabeth(1635–1650) and Princess Anne(1637–1640),
oil on canvas, 164 x 198 cm, unframed

The present composition is related to the celebrated portrait by van Dyck of The five children of Charles I painted in 1637, today in the Royal Collection. The present work is unfinished and it can be closely compared to another study of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Anne (see fig. 1). In both the present work and the study of the Princesses only a little hair emerges from Elizabeth´s cap, unlike the finished composition, and both the study and the present work show Elizabeth without an earring which she wears in the finished Royal Collection version.

The sitters are shown left to right: Princess Mary, (later Princess of Orange and mother of William III); James, Duke of York, (later James II); Prince Charles, (later Charles II); Princess Elizabeth and, in her sister‘s lap, Princess Anne. The future Charles II rests his hand on the head of an enormous mastiff. The mastiff had been a guard dog since Roman times and appears here as a protector for the royal children at a time of civil unrest. Nonetheless, the position of the young Prince‘s hand suggests that he is capable of ruling this powerful beast and, by implication, his country.

Van Dyck had been first invited to England in 1620 to work for the then monarch King James I (King James VI of Scotland) and during his stay in London, van Dyck came across works of Titian which were part of the art collection of the Earl of Arundel, one of the king’s courtiers.  Van Dyck remained in London for six months before returning home.  At the end of 1621 he moved to Italy and stayed there for six years studying the works of the Italian masters whilst visiting many of the Italian art capitals such as Rome and Genoa. It was whilst in Italy that van Dyck developed and perfected his skill as a portraitist.

In 1627 van Dyck once again returned to his birthplace, Antwerp, but was only to stay there for one year before accepting an invitation to return to London by the new English monarch, Charles I, who had acceded to the throne two years earlier. In 1632 van Dyck returned to London where he joined the royal court, received a house as well as a country retreat, and was knighted.  He was to become the favourite painter of King Charles and his wife Queen Henrietta Maria and over the years carried out numerous portraits of the couple and their family and it is around this time, in 1637, that van Dyck completed The Five Eldest Children of Charles I shortly before the tragic events surround the English civil war.

Additional image:
Anthony van Dyck, Princess Elizabeth (1635–1650) and Princess Anne (1637–1640). Daughters of Charles I, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh
© Scottish National Gallery.
Purchased with the aid of the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Scottish Office and the Art Fund 1996