Portrait of Robert Rich, second earl of Warwick
Anthony van Dyck·1634
Historical Context
This portrait of Robert Rich, Earl of Warwick from 1634, in the Metropolitan Museum, depicts a leading Puritan nobleman who would later command the Parliamentary navy during the English Civil War. The portrait captures him before the political convulsions that would divide the English court. 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.
Technical Analysis
Van Dyck renders the earl with characteristic aristocratic poise, using rich armor and the outdoor setting to create a portrait of martial nobility that betrays none of the sitter's future Parliamentarian sympathies.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the rich armor and outdoor setting creating martial nobility at the Metropolitan Museum.
- ◆Look at the characteristic aristocratic poise that betrays none of the sitter's future Parliamentarian sympathies.
- ◆Observe the Earl of Warwick captured before the political convulsions that would see him commanding the Parliamentary navy during the Civil War.
