John Tufton, Second Earl of Thanet (1608-1664) and Margaret Sackville, his wife (1614-1676)

This double portrait of the Earl of Thanet and his wife from around 1620 depicts a aristocratic couple in the formal paired portrait tradition. Van Dyck's ability to render marital partnerships with both dignity and warmth made him the preferred portraitist of the English aristocracy. Van Dyck's portraits defined aristocratic self-presentation across Europe, his elongated elegance and atmospheric painting technique establishing a model for formal portraiture that dominated British art until the nineteenth century.

Van Dyck renders the couple with characteristic elegance, using complementary poses and rich costumes to create a balanced composition of conjugal dignity and aristocratic refinement.