Attributed to Daniel Mytens

Attributed to DANIEL MYTENS THE ELDER (Delft, ca. 1590 – The Hague, 1647).
“Portrait of Sir Anthony van Dyck.”
Oil on canvas.
On the reverse, there are two old labels attributing the work to Daniel Mytens the Elder and identifying the subject as Sir Anthony van Dyck.
Relined.
19th-century stretcher frame. Period frame, adapted.
Measurements: 128 x 102 cm; 146 x 121 cm (frame).

In this work, Anthony van Dyck is depicted as a painter and gentleman through the solemn language of courtly portraiture that Daniel Mytens the Elder had helped to establish in England during the early decades of the 17th century. The figure is seated at an angle, his body draped in a wide greenish cloak, his gaze directed at the viewer. The crimson curtain, the upholstered armchair, and the lighting focused on his face, lace collar, and hands create a setting of great social dignity, befitting the public image Van Dyck had achieved at European courts.

The identification of the subject as Anton van Dyck is reinforced both by his physical features—dark, wavy hair, a thin mustache, and elongated features—and by the elements that define his professional status. The sheet of paper held in his left hand contains a sketch, while the palette and the female bust placed on the table allude to the practice of painting, the art of drawing, and a knowledge of classical sculpture. These attributes are not presented as mere tools of the trade, but as signs of erudition that situate artistic activity within courtly culture.

The two old labels preserved on the reverse explicitly document this identification and include a historical attribution to Daniel Mytens the Elder. The printed label describes the seated young man, dressed in a silk cloak and lace ruff, holding a sketch and accompanied by a palette and a female bust; the handwritten label again identifies him as Van Dyck and links the painting to Mytens.

Mytens settled in London around 1618 and was appointed court painter to James I in 1621, retaining his position during the early years of Charles I’s reign. Before Van Dyck’s arrival in England in 1632, Mytens was one of the principal figures responsible for shaping the official image of the Stuart monarchy and its aristocracy. Both artists shared the aim of ennobling the subject through measured poses, sumptuous fabrics, and carefully constructed settings, although Mytens retained a greater degree of descriptive precision rooted in the Dutch tradition, in contrast to the fluidity, dynamism, and psychological insight that characterized Van Dyck. The combination of restrained composition, attention to detail, and courtly refinement evident in this painting lends historical credibility to its attribution to Mytens, within the narrow framework of relationships and influences that defined English portraiture in the first third of the 17th century.

Daniel Mytens’s work is represented in institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain in London, the British Royal Collection, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.