Anthony Van Dyck ( 1599-1641): Portrait of a Nobleman on a Horse
Oil on canvas, 266,5 x 167,5 cm
Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp

Van Dyck received his education in Antwerp from Peter Paul Rubens, the master of Baroque painting. Rubens taught his favourite student all the tricks of the trade. Van Dyck developed as the virtuoso painter of countless official portraits of kings and nobility. A magnificent example is this rider portrait of a nobleman from Italy. The refined graciousness in the movements and the splendour of his colouring brought him international fame. This stands in stark contrast with the “everyday, banal reality” as represented by Adriaen Brouwer (see the work beside this one).