Sir Anthony van Dyck
- Artist: Sir Anthony van Dyck
- Date: circa 1640
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 22 in. x 18 1/8 in. (560 mm x 460 mm) oval
- Portrays: Sir Anthony van Dyck
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
Before you is a self‑portrait by Sir Anthony van Dyck that dates from about 1640, the last years of his life. The canvas is oval, just over twenty-two inches wide, and the paint shows the artist’s broad, confident strokes on his sumptuous costume. A closer look reveals his right sleeve curled upward as if he were in mid‑stroke, brush poised to bring pigment to another patch of canvas.
The face receives finer detail, a subtle contrast that suggests either an unfinished section or an experimental moment. The frame is striking: it bears the sunflower motif that van Dyck used elsewhere, hinting at his personal emblem and perhaps even being designed by him.
Van Dyck, born in Flanders and active in England from 1632 to his death in 1641, was a pioneering court painter whose shimmering style dominated 17th‑century portraiture. This work captures that brilliance—and the artist’s own hand—on canvas.
See it in person
Sir Anthony van Dyck is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
