Anthony van Dyck
It’s not often you come across a painting that includes a dwarf, a monkey, an orange tree and a Queen but Anthony Van Dyck (1559-1641) managed to create this in his masterpiece “Queen Henrietta Maria with Sir Jeffrey Hudson.” Henrietta Maria was the youngest daughter of King Henry IV of France and Queen Maria Medici from Florence. She married King Charles 1 of England in 1625 and became the Queen of England.
Van Dyck was hired to work as a court painter for King Charles and was mostly known for his full-length portrait style with extremely tall and graceful figures looking down upon viewers with a casual, cool haughtiness depicting nobility. Van Dyck was a highly accomplished Flemish Baroque artist, influenced by Rubens and Titian, who contributed greatly to the history of art and is also known for the creation of the Van Dyck beard, a combination of a mustache and goatee that men still wear today.His portrait “Queen Henrietta Maria with Sir Jeffrey Hudson” is a prime example of his courtly portraits that made him famous.
In this portrait, we see amazing detail in the folds of Henrietta’s blue satin riding gown, her lace collar, and the red velvet suit worn by Sir Jeffrey Hudson. Hudson was a dwarf given to the Queen at a young age; he became one of her most trusted advisors and was extremely loyal to the Queen. Henrietta loved animals and had a menagerie of pets including her beloved monkey, Pug, who is settled on Sir Jeffrey’s arm while the Queen gently rests her hand upon him. Van Dyck uses a fluted column in the painting to exaggerate the height, and the image of rich, gold cloth emphasizes her noble standing. The orange tree behind Henrietta pays visual homage to her Florentine roots as the Medici’s crest includes 5 oranges representing their citrus collection.
It is written that Van Dyck greatly idealized the Queen in this portrait, taking liberties with artistic flattery that surely pleased the Queen and led to his further popularity amongst the royal court.
- Heidi Werber
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