With his signature goatee, moustache and pearl earring, King Charles I sits effortlessly on his horse.Ìý
He is bareheaded, his hair ruffled by a breeze; as are the feathery leaves behind.
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We don't always see everyone included in paintings at first glance.Ìý
The king's equerry, bottom right, blends almost too well into the background. He's passing a plumed helmet up to the king. Van Dyck uses the same scrolling brushstrokes for both the plumes and the equerry's wavy hair.
Born in Antwerp, Van Dyck travelled to Italy and the Netherlands before setting in the UK.
He was struck by the distinctive British countryside, its fields and woodland, reproduced here in the background.
The sky tells another story though, its clear blue hue, and pink-tinged clouds share more with the Italian skies painted by Van Dyck's Venetian hero Titian.
We've looked at feathery leaves, flowing hair and now here are even more textures: the soft velvet saddle cover against the shiny, armour encasing the king's legs.
Van Dyck set a very high standard of portraiture with this work; a work that influenced artists including Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds.
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