The Five Eldest Children of King Charles I
after Sir Anthony Van Dyck (Antwerp 1599 - London 1641)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1800 - 1899
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
405 x 490 mm
Order this imageCollection
Calke Abbey, Derbyshire
NT 290209
Caption
This is a copy of the original in the Royal Collection, signed and dated 1637. It is a charming and very popular image of the royal children. There are many copies of this composition and of the earlier, smaller one with only three children, which can be found throughout many country house collections. Its appeal extended beyond supporters of the Stuarts.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, The Five Eldest Children of Charles I, after Sir Anthony Van Dyck (Antwerp 1599 - London 1641), 19th century. A copy of the original group portrait of the five eldest children of Charles I and Henrietta Maria by Sir Anthony van Dyck, signed and dated 1637, in the Royal Collection. In the centre, dressed in red with a white lace collar, is Charles, Prince of Wales, later Charles II (1630-1685). He rests his left arm on the head of a large Lyme mastiff dog to his side. On the far left of the composition, wearing a white satin dress and pearl necklace, is Mary, Princess Royal (1631-1660). Between her and the Prince of Wales stands James, Duke of York, later James II (1633-1701), dressed in white and red garments. To the right of the composition, wearing a blue dress trimmed with white lace, is Princess Elizabeth (1635-1650), cradling the baby Princess Anne (1637-1640). A King Charles spaniel looks up at them on the right, and behind them a gold jug and dish of fruit are displayed on a table. A curtain is drawn in the background to reveal a landscape beyond.
Provenance
Calke Abbey was given to the National Trust by Henry Harpur Crewe (1921-1991) and the contents, including this painting, were acquired with the aid of a grant from the National Heritage Fund, thanks to a special allocation of money from the Government, in 1984
Credit line
Calke Abbey, The Harpur Crewe Collection (acquired with the help of the help of the National Heritage Memorial Fund by the National Trust in 1985)
Makers and roles
after Sir Anthony Van Dyck (Antwerp 1599 - London 1641), artist