Self-portrait With A Sunflower
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Self-Portrait with a Sunflower'' is a self-portrait by
Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...
, a
Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
artist from
Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
, then in the
Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...
. The oil on canvas painting is generally between 1632 and 1633. His successful ventures in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy propelled van Dyck into a career as court painter. Van Dyck was serving as "principal Paynter in order to their Majesties" at the court of
Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...
when he created this
self-portrait Self-portraits are Portrait painting, portraits artists make of themselves. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century ...
. The symbolism behind the sunflower and gold chain have been a point of contention amongst various art historians. Van Dyck's dedication to capturing the likeness of his models was the basis for his strong influence over the art of portraiture long after his death in 1641. His portrait technique evolved into what is referred to as his Late English period as seen in ''Self-Portrait with a Sunflower''. This work is now in the private collection of the
Duke of Westminster Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ...
, housed at Eaton Hall in Cheshire.


Description

The portrait features the artist Anthony van Dyck looking over his shoulder at the viewer. His gaze centres on the viewer, as if calmly startled by the presence of an onlooker. His right hand is poised to touch the bottom petals of a yellow sunflower. His left index finger and thumb hold a gold chain that extends across his right shoulder and down his posterior side. This is a visual trick of calling attention to the chain and the message it portrays. This chain is understood to be a gift the artist received from his patron, Charles I. The gold chain holds a medal with the king's likeness on it, but is concealed by the artist's right arm sleeve. He is portrayed to be outdoors in nature, as seen by the clouds in the background. He is clothed in a richly-dyed pink overcoat with a white shirt visible on his collar, shirt cuffs, and a slender slit on his back. The light source is radiating from the bottom left corner, illuminating the outer petals of the sunflower. This gives the visual effect of the sunflower "shining" on Anthony van Dyck's face in approval, a common interpretation of the sunflower.


Background


Van Dyck in the Court of Charles I

King Charles I was notoriously famous for his patronage of the arts, and during the early 1600s, extended his collection of artwork extensively with the addition of works once owned by the
Duke of Mantua During its Timeline of Mantua, history as independent entity, Mantua had different rulers who governed on the city and the lands of Mantua from the Middle Ages to the early modern period. From 970 to 1115, the Counts of Mantua were members of ...
. During the height of his rule, Charles had amassed a great collection of works totalling an estimated 1,750 paintings, some of which were created by Van Dyck. Shortly after his coronation in 1626, the King sought to create a fleet of Baroque artists, including
Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...
and
Orazio Gentileschi Orazio Lomi Gentileschi (; 1563 – 7 February 1639) was an Italian painter. Born in Tuscany, he began his career in Rome, painting in a Mannerist style, much of his work consisting of painting the figures within the decorative schemes of other ...
, to work and live in England. The Dutch artist Daniël Mytens was Charles' official court painter before Van Dyck's arrival to England, yet lacked the skills to depict Charles as regally as he wished. Van Dyck became a sought after artist soon after submitting a self-portrait to court officials and creating a religious work for Queen
Henrietta Maria of France Henrietta Maria of France ( French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until his execution on 30 January 1649. She was ...
. He was asked to come to England in April 1632, was knighted for his work and loyalty to the crown later in July, and subsequently became a favourite of Charles. He was given a quiet house along with a handsome pension of £200 annually. It is estimated that van Dyck created over 40 portraits of King Charles alone, along with various other paintings of the royal family together. These works were commonly sent to other monarchs and functioned as diplomatic gifts. In England, van Dyck was able to develop his style and live well within his means as an artist.


Provenance

The painting belongs to the private collection of the Duke of Westminster. It is currently housed in the country house of Eaton Hall, located in
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, England. Since the work belongs to a private collection, it currently is not and has not been on public display for quite some time. The current title holder of Duke and over-seer of Eaton Hall is Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster. The young billionaire aristocrat has a net worth of nearly £9 billion, making him the world's richest man under 30 years of age. In 2013, he was named the godfather of Prince George of Cambridge. ''Self-Portrait with a Sunflower'' finds great company amongst the collection the Grosvenors have amassed throughout the centuries; some other notable names in their private collection include
Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...
,
Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (; 14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists o ...
, and
Claude Lorrain Claude Lorrain (; born Claude Gellée , called ''le Lorrain'' in French; traditionally just Claude in English; c. 1600 – 23 November 1682) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher of the Baroque era. He spent most of his life in I ...
. The Duke has been known to loan works out for a handful of exhibits, but Van Dyck's self-portrait has not been publicly displayed in over a decade. A spokesperson for the Duke made a comment in 2007 that no private appointments to view any work in the collection will be taken. The painting was shown in the exhibition ''Charles I: King and Collector'' in the
Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
from 27 January to 15 April 2018.


Interpretation


Sunflower

Historians and scholars have hotly debated the symbolism behind the sunflower. The concept of the language of flowers and deriving symbolism from flora had not yet gained the popularity that it would later have in literature, art, poetry, and more; yet a plethora of flowers were associated with certain traits and characteristics even in the
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
era. The sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is symbolic of devotion and fidelity because it turns during the day to follow the Sun in its course across the sky, as reflected in its French name ''tournesol'', the Spanish ''girasol'', Italian ''girasole'', etc. This obvious symbolism was naturally noted in 17th century English
emblem book An emblem book is a book collecting emblems (allegorical illustrations) with accompanying explanatory text, typically morals or poems. This category of books was popular in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. Emblem books are collection ...
s, in which the sunflower represents loyalty. Many of these emblem books were published and made available in Van Dyck's home city,
Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
, but the characteristic of the plant is known to every gardener, and no literary source is necessary. Although he did not state personally that this devotion is specifically to the Crown, it has been interpreted that this portrait is a declaration of loyalty only to Charles I. Presiding as court painter to the king of England was an honour that Van Dyck revelled in, as well as an honour that any artist would be proud of. Art historians agree that the golden chain van Dyck has draped across his right shoulder was gifted to him by his patron Charles I and that the work was created while he was a court painter. The sunflower and its position facing him are interpreted as symbols for the monarch's approval of van Dyck. Yet it is not unanimously agreed that there is direct correlation between the artist and the patron specifically. Anthony van Dyck's workshop created a work likely between 1635 and 1650 that depicted his dear friend
Sir Kenelm Digby Sir Kenelm Digby (11 July 1603 – 11 June 1665) was an English courtier and diplomat. He was also a highly reputed natural philosopher, astrologer and known as a leading Roman Catholic intellectual and Blackloist. For his versatility, he is ...
, an English astrologer, natural philosopher, and royal
courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...
. The oil on canvas is titled ''Sir Kenelm Digby with a sunflower.'' A testament to the friendship between Digby and van Dyck are the several portraits van Dyck painted to honour the late
Venetia Stanley Venetia Anastasia, Lady Digby ( Stanley; December 1600 – 1 May 1633) was a celebrated beauty of the Stuart period (England), Stuart period and the wife of a prominent courtier and scientist, Sir Kenelm Digby. She was a granddaughter of Tho ...
, Digby's wife. He also completed a family portrait of the Digby couple and their two young children between 1632 and 1633, the same years he worked on his sunflower self-portrait. The sunflower in Kenelm Digby's portrait would not make sense to function as the same symbolic nod to the crown. It would be more accurate for the sunflower to symbolise devotion and allegiance here, for Digby served the Crown as an unofficial naval consultant in the mid-1620s, as well as fought in a duel in 1641 in defence of the King and his namesake. Those in favour of this particular theory also state that Van Dyck's personal nature did not lend itself to be boastful about his dependency on another, even if that person was the King of England. Later, in the early 1640s, the portrait would be used during the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
as a loosely defined
propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
piece, persuading citizens to join arms for a
royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...
allegiance, and successfully did so in uniting the war-torn kingdom. This is evidence to prove that if the sunflower were to be a symbol only of Van Dyck's fidelity to his patron, the portrait would not have favoured as well with a wide audience looking for inspiration and relatable meaning in an artwork.


Gold Chain

Famously, the chain Anthony van Dyck dons in the portrait is a token of Charles I's appreciation for his artistic work. Van Dyck had only been in England for a little over a year before a warrant was issued from court officials for the medal of 'One Hundred and Ten Pounds value' be given to him. Historians believe the chain and medal were designed by Nicolas Briot. Oftentimes, gifts such as these were worked into the commission price an artist were to be paid following the completion of a work. Not only was the token of appreciation a nod to the work Van Dyck had accomplished during his first year as court painter, but also a royal decree of his status in England. When comparing the artist's other self-portraits, especially those he made while he was pupil under Peter Paul Rubens, the way he portrays simple, functional chains differs vastly to the outwardly candid adornment he sports in ''Self-Portrait with a Sunflower''. The touching of the chain is symbolic of his deep and active involvement in his duties, yet he restrains from making that the centre of the self-portrait by balancing the chain imagery with the sunflower.


Van Dyck or Vandyke Beard

Anthony van Dyck was well known for his many attempts of capturing his own likeness on canvas. As such, viewers were exposed to his unique style through his artwork. Van Dyck was capable of influencing 17th century Englishmen into adopting his mannerisms and outward appearance. He was known for wearing his facial hair in a particular way, and would later popularise the look by painting his various models with the same beard. The style known as the Van Dyck beard came to consist of a
moustache A moustache (; mustache, ) is a growth of facial hair grown above the upper lip and under the human nose, nose. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French language, French, and i ...
and
goatee A goatee is a style of facial hair incorporating hair on the chin entirely. The exact nature of the style has varied according to time and culture. Description Until the late 20th century, the term ''goatee'' was used to refer solely to a bear ...
with the hair on the cheeks completely shaven. The moustache could be curled at the tips and include or exclude a
soul patch A soul patch, also known as a mouche, is a small patch of facial hair between the lower lip and the chin. Soul patches have been fashionable in Europe at various times in the past, for instance in 17th-century Holland. An example from about 1625 ...
depending on personal preference. The look was thought to have a regal and stately appearance, and King Charles I himself often liked to be depicted wearing the facial hair style in his portraits. Because Charles I was seen so often sporting the Van Dyck beard, it is also referred to as the "Charlie". The trend slowly died out before practically disappearing from fashion during the
English Restoration The Stuart Restoration was the reinstatement in May 1660 of the Stuart monarchy in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland. It replaced the Commonwealth of England, established in January 164 ...
under the rule of King Charles II. In ''Self-Portrait with a Sunflower'', van Dyck is sporting a classic "Vandyke"; his chin goatee consists of a tapered end, and his moustache tips are curled and pointed upward. His upper lip is nearly hidden by the thick, dark hair of his moustache whilst remaining cleanly trimmed, indicative of the pride he has in the growth of his hair and his appearance.


Copies

There is a copy of the painting, which was also painted by van Dyck, in the property of the foundation of the Friedenstein Palace in
Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...
(Germany). This painting was stolen in 1979 and resurfaced in 2019.Spektakulärer Kunstraub in Gotha: Diese Gemälde sind wieder da (Picture 4)
in: MDR. 6. December 2019, Retrieved 7. December 2019.


See also

*
List of paintings by Anthony van Dyck The following is an incomplete list of works by the Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641). Portraits (1613–1632) Between 1613 and 1632, van Dyck travelled all over Europe – from his native Antwerp (where he began working as a painte ...


Notes


References

* "Anthony Van Dyck Artworks & Famous Paintings". ''The Art Story''. Retrieved 2019-04-18. *"Britain's hidden art". ''www.newstatesman.com''. Retrieved 2019-04-17 *Brown, Christopher, and Anthony Van Dyck. ''Van Dyck''. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1983. *Peacock, John, 1941- (2006). ''The Look of Van Dyck: The Self-Portrait with a Sunflower and the Vision of the Painter''. Ashgate. . * Carlton, Charles, 1941- (1995). ''Charles I, the personal monarch'' (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. . *Chapman, H. Perry (2013). "Self-Portraiture 1400− 1700" (PDF). ''www.segundodeagosto.com''. * Dovkants, Keith. "Hugh Grosvenor: How the richest man in the world under 30 stays normal". ''Tatler''. Retrieved 2019-04-17. *Duboff, Josh. "Hugh Grosvenor: Meet the 22-Year-Old, Baby-Faced, Absurdly Rich Godparent to Prince George". ''The Hive''. Retrieved 2019-04-17. *EDT, Lucy Clarke-Billings On 8/10/16 at 3:17 AM (2016-08-10). "Britain's third richest man the Duke of Westminster leaves fortune to son—Prince George's Godfather". ''Newsweek''. Retrieved 2019-04-18. *Grosswirth, Marvin, 1931–1984. (2014). ''Art of growing a beard''. Dover Publications. . . *Jaffé, Michael (2003), "Dyck, ijckSir Anthony nthonie; Antoonvan", ''Oxford Art Online'', Oxford University Press, retrieved 2019-04-17. *Salus, Peter H.; Shipley, Joseph T. (1985-09). "The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European Roots". ''Language''. 61 (3): 710. . . *Scoble, Gretchen; Field, Ann (1998-04). ''The Meaning of Flowers: Myth, Language & Lore''. Chronicle Books. . *"Self-Portrait with a Sunflower by Anthony van Dyck". ''www.anthonyvandyck.org''. Retrieved 2019-04-17. *Sherrow, Victoria. (2006). ''Encyclopedia of hair : a cultural history''. Greenwood Press. . . *Wark, R. R. (1956). "A Note on Van Dyck's 'Self-Portrait with a Sunflower'". ''The Burlington Magazine''. 98 (635): 53–54. {{Authority control
Sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a species of large annual forb of the daisy family Asteraceae. The common sunflower is harvested for its edible oily seeds, which are often eaten as a snack food. They are also used in the pr ...
1633 paintings