Charles I with M. de St Antoine is an oil painting on canvas by the Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck, depicting Charles I on horseback, accompanied by his riding master, Pierre Antoine Bourdon, Seigneur de St Antoine.
Charles is depicted as a chivalrous knight and sovereign[1] riding a large, muscular white horse – possibly a Lipizzaner – under a neoclassicaltriumphal arch, from which is fall hangings of green silk. He is clad in parade armour with the blue sash of the Order of the Garter and carries a baton to symbolise his command of the military.
Charles is depicted almost alone, perhaps alluding to the period of his personal rule without Parliament, and is viewed from below, as in van Dyck's 1635 painting Charles I at the Hunt, which disguises the king's lack of stature. To the right stands his riding master, Pierre Antoine Bourdon, Seigneur de St Antoine (with a ribbon around his neck, possibly of the Order of Saint Lazarus) who looks up at the king while holding his helmet.
A large royal coat of arms of the House of Stuart stands to the lower left of the painting – of four quarters: first and fourth the fleur-de-lys of France quartering the three lions of England, second the double tressured lion of Scotland, and third the harp of Ireland – surmounted by a large crown.
The painting is oil on canvas and measures 3.68 × 2.7 metres (12.1 × 8.9 ft).[1] It may have been intended as a theatrical trompe-l'œil flourish at the end of the King's Gallery in St James's Palace.[2]
Provenance
It was valued at £150 and included in the auction of the Royal Collection following the execution of Charles I.[3] It was sold to "Pope" on 22 December 1652 and subsequently acquired by the Flemish painter Remigius van Leemput who lived in London.[4] It was recovered from van Leemput through legal proceedings and returned to Charles II in 1660 upon the Restoration of the Monarchy. The painting remains in the Royal Collection and is on display in the East Gallery at Buckingham Palace.[1]