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Charles I in Three Positions

Charles I in Three Positions, also known as the Triple Portrait of Charles I, is an oil-on-canvas painting completed by the Flemish Baroque artist Sir Anthony van Dyck around 1635–1636, depicting King Charles I of England (r. 1625–1649) from three angles—full face, left profile, and three-quarter view—to provide reference for sculptural work.^[1]^[2]
Commissioned directly by Charles I, who served as van Dyck's principal patron after appointing him Principal Painter in Ordinary in 1632, the portrait was dispatched to the Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini in Rome in 1636 to guide the creation of a marble bust of the king, as referenced in the monarch's accompanying letter expressing hope for its use in the sculptural rendition.^[1]^[3] Bernini duly produced the bust, which was delivered to England in 1637 and praised for its accuracy and craftsmanship, earning the artist a diamond ring from Charles as reward.^[3]
The composition draws inspiration from earlier triple-view portraits, notably Lorenzo Lotto's Portrait of a Man in Three Positions (c. 1530), then in Charles I's own collection, adapting the format to emphasize the king's dignified bearing and refined features in a manner suited to Baroque ideals of royal iconography.^[1] Housed today in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, the work measures approximately 84.5 by 99.7 cm and exemplifies van Dyck's mastery in capturing psychological depth and naturalistic detail, contributing to his enduring influence on English portraiture during Charles's reign.^[1]^[4]

Commission and Historical Context

Origins of the Commission

King Charles I of England, a dedicated patron of the arts who had appointed Anthony van Dyck as Principal Painter in Ordinary in 1632, sought a marble bust sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the leading Italian artist of the Baroque period. To facilitate this without Bernini's presence in England, Charles commissioned van Dyck to create a triple portrait capturing the king's features from three angles—full face, left profile, and right profile—for use as a sculptural model. The work was begun in the second half of 1635 and completed before June 1636.^[1] This commission arose amid diplomatic overtures from Pope Urban VIII, who arranged the bust as a gift to Queen Henrietta Maria, Charles's Catholic queen consort, with the underlying aim of encouraging the king's alignment with Rome. Charles himself initiated contact with Bernini via a letter dated 17 March 1636, expressing anticipation for "the most beautiful bust ever made" and praising the sculptor's exalted reputation.^[1]^[3] Van Dyck's compositional choice was influenced by Lorenzo Lotto's Portrait of a Man in Three Positions (c. 1530), a work already in Charles I's collection, adapting the multi-view format traditionally used for anatomical studies to serve a precise artistic purpose.^[1] The resulting painting was dispatched to Rome in 1636, enabling Bernini to execute the bust, which was presented to Charles on 17 July 1637 at Oatlands Palace.^[1]

Political and Artistic Milieu Under Charles I

Charles I's reign from 1625 to 1649 was marked by escalating conflicts between royal absolutism and parliamentary authority, rooted in his adherence to the divine right of kings and resistance to legislative oversight on taxation and religion. Early disputes over funding unsuccessful wars against Spain and France in the 1620s prompted Charles to dissolve Parliament repeatedly, leading to the eleven-year Personal Rule (1629–1640) during which he governed without parliamentary consent, relying on prerogative courts like the Star Chamber and controversial levies such as Ship Money extended inland in 1634. These measures, intended to bolster fiscal independence, alienated gentry and merchants, fueling Puritan opposition to perceived Arminian religious innovations and contributing causally to the summoning of the Short Parliament in April 1640 and the Long Parliament later that year, which demanded reforms and ultimately precipitated the First English Civil War in 1642.^[5] Despite these political strains, Charles cultivated a milieu of cultural opulence, positioning his court as a hub of Baroque splendor amid domestic turmoil. As a voracious collector, he amassed approximately 1,500 paintings, 500 sculptures, and numerous antiquities by the late 1630s, acquiring masterpieces from Venetian masters like Titian—whose eleven portraits of Roman emperors formed a centerpiece—and contemporary Flemish artists including Rubens, often through diplomatic channels or agents like the Earl of Arundel. This patronage reflected a deliberate emulation of continental absolutist courts, such as that of Philip IV in Spain, using art to project divine majesty and legitimacy.^[6]^[7]^[8] Central to this artistic environment was Anthony van Dyck, summoned to London in 1632 and knighted as Principal Painter in Ordinary by 1633, tasked with immortalizing the king and nobility in over 350 works that emphasized aristocratic poise and psychological depth. Van Dyck's arrival elevated English portraiture from the stiffer Mannerism of predecessors like Daniel Mytens to a fluid, Rubensian elegance, aligning with Charles's vision of monarchy as aesthetic and intellectual sovereignty. This juxtaposition of political intransigence and artistic refinement underscores the causal disconnect between Charles's cultural achievements—which survived his 1649 execution via dispersal and later reacquisitions—and the governance failures that dismantled his regime.^[9]^[10]^[11]

Role of Anthony van Dyck at Court

Anthony van Dyck served as the principal court painter to King Charles I from 1632 until his death in 1641.^[12] In this position, he produced numerous portraits of the king, queen, and royal family, establishing a distinctive style that emphasized elegance and authority.^[13] Upon his return to London in 1632, Charles I knighted van Dyck and granted him an annual pension of £200, along with a house and studio, underscoring the monarch's reliance on his artistic talents to project royal image.^[14]^[15] Van Dyck's exclusive role as court painter allowed him unparalleled access to the king, enabling detailed and innovative works such as the Charles I in Three Positions painted around 1635–1636.^[3] This triple portrait, depicting the king from front, left, and right profiles, was commissioned to facilitate Gian Lorenzo Bernini's creation of a marble bust for Pope Urban VIII, demonstrating van Dyck's involvement in international diplomatic and artistic exchanges on behalf of the crown.^[16] His influence extended to shaping English portraiture traditions, with many subsequent artists emulating his techniques in rendering nobility and poise.^[17] The artist's high status was further evidenced by his burial in St Paul's Cathedral following his death on December 9, 1641, a rare honor reflecting his contributions to the court's visual propaganda during a period of mounting political tensions.^[18] Van Dyck's tenure thus not only elevated portraiture at court but also supported Charles I's efforts to cultivate a sophisticated, absolutist image amid challenges from Parliament.^[19]

Artistic Description and Technique

Composition and Three-View Format

The painting Charles I in Three Positions adopts a rare triple-portrait format, presenting the king from three distinct viewpoints arrayed horizontally across a single canvas: a full left profile on the left, a direct frontal view in the center, and a three-quarter view facing right on the right.^[1]^[3] This configuration rotates the figure in space, capturing variations in hairstyle—longer curls visible from the left, reflecting contemporary fashion—and subtle differences in facial expression and posture to convey a multifaceted likeness.^[1] The composition emphasizes the head and upper torso against a neutral backdrop, minimizing distractions to prioritize anatomical precision and three-dimensional form, with the king attired in a broad lace collar and blue Garter ribbon for formal dignity.^[1] This three-view structure, painted between 1635 and before June 1636, served a utilitarian purpose beyond portraiture, providing sculptors with comprehensive angular data to model a bust accurately, as evidenced by its dispatch to Gian Lorenzo Bernini in Rome.^[1]^[2] Van Dyck's approach drew inspiration from earlier precedents, notably Lorenzo Lotto's Portrait of a Goldsmith in Three Positions (c. 1530), then in Charles I's own collection, which similarly juxtaposed multiple angles for depth.^[1]^[3] The format's restraint in pose and lighting underscores Van Dyck's fidelity to observation, rendering the king's refined features—high forehead, pointed beard, and somber gaze—with meticulous detail to enable translation into marble.^[1]

Materials, Dimensions, and Execution

The portrait Charles I in Three Positions is an oil painting on canvas, a medium typical of Anthony van Dyck's mature works produced during his tenure as principal court painter to Charles I.^[1] The support measures 84.4 by 99.4 centimetres, with the framed dimensions extending to approximately 107.3 by 122.2 by 7.6 centimetres.^[1] Van Dyck executed the work between 1635 and before June 1636, employing his refined oil technique of underpainting followed by successive glazes to achieve luminous skin tones and precise anatomical detail across the three views, facilitating its utilitarian role as a sculptural model.^[20] This layered approach, honed in Antwerp and adapted in England, emphasized fluid brushwork for drapery and sharp focus on the king's physiognomy, ensuring proportional fidelity observable from front, left, and right profiles.^[21] The canvas remains unlined, preserving the original surface texture despite minor craquelure from age.^[1]

Stylistic Features and Innovations

Anthony van Dyck's Charles I in Three Positions (1635–1636) exhibits a stylistic precision in the rendering of the king's features across three views—left profile, frontal, and right three-quarter—marked by careful drawing and modeling that deviates from the artist's typical more fluid and bravura approach. This restraint ensured anatomical fidelity suitable for guiding Gian Lorenzo Bernini's sculptural work, prioritizing functional accuracy over decorative flourish.^[1] The triple-view format represents an adaptation of Renaissance precedents, such as Lorenzo Lotto's circa 1530 Triple Portrait of a Goldsmith, which similarly provided multiple angles for practical purposes like jewelry design, but van Dyck innovated by applying it to monarchical portraiture within a Baroque framework, combining utilitarian structure with aristocratic elegance.^[3] Van Dyck maintained consistency in the king's attire and posture across the views, creating a cohesive depiction that unified the composition while highlighting subtle variations in lighting and shadow to emphasize three-dimensional form, thereby enhancing both the painting's realism and its utility as a sculptor's reference. This integration of purpose-driven composition with van Dyck's signature attention to texture and expression—evident in the detailed lace collar and the king's direct frontal gaze—elevates the work beyond mere diagram to a sophisticated portrait asserting royal dignity.^[3]^[1] The innovation lies in van Dyck's ability to imbue a commission originally intended for distant replication with intrinsic artistic value, as the restrained technique allowed for precise likeness capture without sacrificing the psychological insight characteristic of his court portraits, such as the subtle conveyance of Charles I's contemplative demeanor.^[1]^[22]

Purpose and Immediate Use

Facilitating Bernini's Sculpture

In 1635 or 1636, King Charles I commissioned Anthony van Dyck to produce this triple portrait specifically to serve as a model for Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the leading Baroque sculptor in Rome, to create a marble bust of the king.^[1] The painting's unusual composition—presenting Charles I in frontal, left-profile, and right-profile views—supplied Bernini with the multiple angles essential for accurately capturing the subject's facial structure, proportions, and features in three dimensions, obviating the need for Charles to travel amid political tensions and logistical challenges.^[2] This utilitarian approach reflected the era's practical fusion of painting and sculpture, where detailed preparatory portraits compensated for physical absence in commissions.^[3] Dispatched to Bernini in Rome during 1636, the original canvas enabled the sculptor to execute the bust over the subsequent two years, completing it by 1638.^[1] Bernini, renowned for his dynamic marble works like those for popes Urban VIII and Innocent X, drew directly from van Dyck's meticulous rendering of Charles's slender face, pointed beard, and reserved expression to infuse the sculpture with lifelike vitality.^[23] The bust, intended partly as a diplomatic gift possibly linked to papal overtures toward Queen Henrietta Maria, demonstrated the portrait's efficacy, as Bernini received a diamond ring valued at £800 from Charles in recompense.^[1] Though the resulting sculpture was later destroyed in the 1698 Whitehall Palace fire, the painting's role underscores its primary function beyond mere portraiture: a precise, empirical aid to artistic replication across media and distance.^[1]

Shipment and Reception in Italy

The triple portrait was dispatched from England to Gian Lorenzo Bernini in Rome in 1636, following King Charles I's letter to the sculptor dated 17 March 1636, in which the king stated his intent to send the painted portrait "immediately" as a model for a marble bust intended as a papal gift to Queen Henrietta Maria.^[1] The shipment occurred amid diplomatic efforts to foster Catholic influence in England, with the portrait serving as a precise three-view reference to enable Bernini to capture the king's features without an in-person sitting.^[1] Bernini received the work promptly enough to complete the bust during the summer of 1636, demonstrating the portrait's practical utility and fidelity in rendering Charles I's physiognomy from multiple angles.^[1] The sculptor's retention of the painting afterward, rather than its prompt return, suggests its artistic value was recognized in Italy, as it remained with the Bernini family for generations before re-entering English ownership.^[1] While no contemporary Italian accounts detail Bernini's immediate reaction, the swift execution of the commission and the bust's later acclaim in England for its "likenese and nere resemblance" to the king underscore the portrait's success in facilitating accurate representation.^[1]

Evidence of Direct Utility

The triple portrait's direct utility is substantiated by Charles I's explicit instructions in a letter to Gian Lorenzo Bernini dated 17 March 1636, commissioning a marble bust of the king and directing the sculptor to base it on the painting as a reference, given Bernini's inability to travel to England.^[1] The artwork was promptly shipped to Rome following the letter, arriving in time for Bernini to utilize it during the summer of 1636 for the bust's execution.^[1] The completed bust's arrival in England provided concrete evidence of the portrait's efficacy; it was presented to Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria at Oatlands Palace on 17 July 1637, where contemporaries praised its lifelike representation of the king's features and the sculptor's technical prowess in rendering three-dimensional form from the two-dimensional triple views.^[1] This acclaim for fidelity implies the painting's multiple angles—frontal, left profile, and three-quarter—successfully conveyed essential anatomical and expressive details otherwise unobtainable remotely.^[1] Bernini's remuneration with a diamond ring valued at £800 in 1638 further confirms the commission's successful realization predicated on the portrait's provision.^[1] Although the bust itself perished in the Whitehall Palace fire of 5 January 1698, its documented reception and the absence of reported discrepancies between the portrait and sculpture affirm the preparatory work's instrumental role.^[1] Surviving plaster casts and later copies, such as those analyzed in art historical studies, align closely with Van Dyck's depicted head proportions, reinforcing the direct causal link.^[24]

Provenance and Preservation

Early Ownership and Post-Charles I Fate

The triple portrait was commissioned by Charles I around late 1635 and completed by Anthony van Dyck before June 1636, specifically to serve as a reference for Gian Lorenzo Bernini in sculpting a marble bust of the king.^[1] Charles I, who had ascended the throne in 1625, retained ownership initially as part of his extensive art collection, which emphasized royal iconography and included influences like Lorenzo Lotto's earlier triple portrait then in his possession.^[1] The painting was dispatched from England to Rome shortly after its completion in 1636, entrusting it to Bernini for the sculptural project funded by the king at a cost of 4,000 Roman scudi.^[1] ^[2] Following Charles I's execution on January 30, 1649, at the outset of the Commonwealth period, the portrait did not return to England and thus evaded dispersal of royal assets under Oliver Cromwell's regime, which auctioned much of the king's collection between 1649 and 1653.^[1] It remained in Italy, passing into the possession of the Bernini family after the sculptor's death in 1680; the resulting bust, completed around 1637, was sent to Charles but destroyed in the 1698 fire at Whitehall Palace.^[1] By the early 19th century, the painting had re-entered the British art market, documented in the ownership of Mr. Irvine before being offered at auction by Walsh Porter and acquired by Mr. Wells.^[1] In 1822, George IV purchased it for 1,000 guineas (£1,050), reintegrating it into the royal holdings at Carlton House before its transfer to Windsor Castle.^[1]

Acquisition by the Royal Collection

Following the dispatch of the painting to Gian Lorenzo Bernini in Rome in 1636, it remained abroad during the English Civil War and the execution of Charles I in 1649, thereby escaping the dispersal of the royal collection under the Commonwealth government.^[1] It stayed in the possession of the Bernini family after the sculptor's death in 1680, before entering private ownership in England, documented successively with Mr. Irvine, the auctioneer Walsh Porter, and finally Mr. Wells.^[1] George IV, then Prince Regent, purchased the work from Wells in 1822 for 1,000 guineas, thereby incorporating it into the Royal Collection.^[1] The acquisition reflected George IV's active expansion of the royal holdings through targeted purchases of Stuart-era artworks, often sourced from Continental or private markets where items from Charles I's original collection had resurfaced.^[1] Upon entry, it appeared in the Carlton House inventory of that year (no. 548), predating its relocation to Windsor Castle, where it has since been displayed in the Van Dyck Room.^[1]

Condition, Restoration, and Current Display

The painting has remained in stable condition since its acquisition by the Royal Collection in 1822, preserved through controlled storage and display environments that mitigate risks such as light exposure, humidity fluctuations, and physical handling, as standard for works in institutional custody.^[1] Its avoidance of the dispersal and potential damage during the English Civil War—due to shipment to Italy in 1636—and limited subsequent private ownership contributed to minimal wear, with the canvas and oil medium retaining van Dyck's original brushwork and pigmentation integrity, as evidenced by high-resolution imaging and catalog descriptions.^[1] No records of major structural damage, such as tears or flaking, or extensive relining are noted in official provenance accounts, suggesting routine maintenance rather than corrective interventions.^[1] Conservation efforts align with protocols for 17th-century European oil paintings in royal holdings, including periodic varnishing to protect the surface and ultraviolet examination for subtle craquelure, though specific treatment dates for this work are not itemized in public inventories.^[6] The frame, likely a later addition consistent with 19th-century royal preferences, has been maintained separately to prevent gilding corrosion affecting the artwork.^[1] As of 2025, the triple portrait is on permanent display in the Van Dyck Room of Windsor Castle, part of the State Apartments accessible to visitors, where it is exhibited under regulated lighting to preserve its condition while allowing public viewing.^[1] This location highlights its role in the monarch's artistic legacy, positioned alongside other van Dyck portraits of Charles I for contextual appreciation.^[1] Occasional loans or rotations occur for security and conservation, but it predominantly resides at Windsor rather than other royal sites like Buckingham Palace.^[1]

Interpretations and Symbolism

Portraiture of Monarchical Authority

![Anthony van Dyck, Charles I in Three Positions, c. 1636][float-right] Anthony van Dyck's Charles I in Three Positions, painted between 1635 and June 1636, portrays the king through three rotated views—full face, left profile, and three-quarter view—enabling a sculptural comprehension of his countenance while asserting monarchical dignity through meticulous modeling of the features with uncharacteristic restraint.^[25] This approach emphasizes the inherent authority of Charles I, whose direct frontal gaze in the central position confronts the viewer, evoking the sovereign's commanding presence and divine-right legitimacy central to his absolutist governance.^[25] ^[12] The king's attire, featuring a dark doublet accented by three distinct lace collars and the blue ribbon of the Order of the Garter, underscores royal prestige and chivalric heritage, symbols of his supreme status as head of state and church.^[25] The varied patterns and contrasts in clothing, set against a richly detailed sky, further elevate the composition, portraying Charles not merely as a sitter but as an emblem of multifaceted kingship—ruler, patron of arts, and enduring symbol of authority.^[25] This visual strategy aligns with Van Dyck's broader oeuvre under Charles's patronage, where portraits propagated the image of a refined, unassailable monarch amid mounting political tensions.^[26]

Psychological and Physical Depiction of Charles I

The triple portrait presents Charles I from three distinct angles—left profile, frontal view, and right three-quarter view—to provide a comprehensive physical likeness for sculptural purposes, emphasizing precise modeling of the head and facial features.^[4]^[27] Van Dyck rendered the heads with unusual care and restraint, highlighting details such as the king's auburn, flowing hair styled according to 1635–1636 fashion, longer on the left side, and his slender, delicate build.^[1]^[28] The king appears in sober attire, including a blue Garter ribbon, varied lace collars across the views, and subtle differences in robe colors against contrasting backgrounds that enhance the image's gravity.^[1] Psychologically, the central frontal view conveys calm authority and monarchical dignity, aligning with Van Dyck's intent to capture the essence of Charles's reserved character and natural poise.^[29]^[3] The side profiles introduce nuance, with the left appearing more withdrawn, subtly suggesting introspection or vulnerability beneath the regal facade, while maintaining overall solemnity.^[27]^[30] This multi-angled restraint underscores Charles's personality as dignified yet inwardly contemplative, diverging from Van Dyck's typical fluid dynamism to prioritize truthful likeness over idealization.^[1]^[29]

Comparisons to Other Triple Portraits

Van Dyck's Charles I in Three Positions (1635–1636) draws from the earlier tradition exemplified by Lorenzo Lotto's Triple Portrait of a Goldsmith (c. 1530), which depicts the subject's head in three-quarter and profile views against a neutral background, serving as preparatory studies likely for a medal or small sculpture.^[1] Lotto's work, owned by Charles I himself, features a more intimate, sketch-like quality with the sitter in everyday attire, emphasizing anatomical precision over regal symbolism, in contrast to Van Dyck's formalized composition that integrates full shoulder views and royal accoutrements to convey monarchical dignity.^[3] Philippe de Champaigne's Triple Portrait of Cardinal de Richelieu (c. 1642) exhibits clear parallels to Van Dyck's painting, including the tripartite frontal, left-profile, and right-profile arrangement designed to facilitate sculptural modeling, potentially reflecting direct influence from the English royal portrait.^[31] Both works prioritize utility for three-dimensional translation—Van Dyck's for Gian Lorenzo Bernini's proposed bust of Charles I, and Champaigne's similarly intended to aid a marble bust of Richelieu—yet differ in stylistic execution: Van Dyck employs fluid Flemish brushwork and subtle psychological depth to humanize the king, while Champaigne's French classicism yields a stiffer, more austere depiction aligned with Richelieu's ecclesiastical authority and the subject's advanced age of 57.^[1] The Richelieu portrait omits the decorative elements prominent in Van Dyck's, focusing instead on unadorned severity to underscore the cardinal's political absolutism.^[31] These triple portraits represent a niche convention in 17th-century European art, primarily utilitarian for sculptors rather than standalone display pieces, with Van Dyck's mediating between Lotto's Renaissance pragmatism and Champaigne's Baroque restraint, adapting the format to elevate portraiture's role in state propaganda.^[3] Unlike later iterations, such as 18th-century examples, these early modern works consistently link the genre to cross-media collaboration between painters and sculptors, prioritizing empirical accuracy in visage and pose over narrative embellishment.^[31]

Reception and Legacy

Contemporary Artistic Evaluations

The triple portrait of Charles I, painted by Anthony van Dyck circa 1635–1636, was commissioned specifically to provide Gian Lorenzo Bernini with a comprehensive view of the king's features for a marble bust. Dispatched to Rome in 1636, the painting enabled Bernini to complete the sculpture by 1637, which Charles I praised for its fidelity to his likeness, rewarding the sculptor with a diamond ring valued at £800 in 1638.^[1] This acclaim for the bust's accuracy reflects implicit endorsement of Van Dyck's preparatory work by one of Europe's preeminent contemporary sculptors, whose reliance on the portrait underscores its technical precision in capturing profile, three-quarter, and frontal views.^[32] Emboldened by the outcome, Queen Henrietta Maria arranged for Van Dyck to produce a comparable triple portrait of herself in 1637, likewise intended for Bernini to model a bust, though political upheavals prevented its execution.^[3] The repetition of the format signals its perceived efficacy among Stuart court patrons and artists, who recognized the portrait's role in bridging painting and sculpture through detailed anatomical rendering. Van Dyck's innovation in this regard aligned with his broader acclaim at court, where his appointment as principal painter in ordinary in 1633 and subsequent knighthood evidenced royal esteem for his ability to convey monarchical dignity with lifelike subtlety.^[1] Among English artists, the portrait's influence is evident in its adaptation by contemporaries for similar utilitarian purposes, though direct critiques remain sparse in surviving records. No notable artistic dissent appears in 17th-century correspondence or inventories, consistent with Van Dyck's unchallenged status as the era's leading portraitist, whose works were valued for transcending mere likeness to project regal poise amid emerging political tensions.^[26]

Influence on Later Portraiture and Sculpture

The triple portrait served as a direct reference for Gian Lorenzo Bernini in executing a marble bust of Charles I, dispatched to Rome in 1636 at the king's request to facilitate the sculptor's work.^[1] Bernini completed the bust by summer 1636, which was presented to Queen Henrietta Maria on 17 July 1637 at Oatlands Palace as a diplomatic gift from Pope Urban VIII, reflecting aspirations for England's reconciliation with the Catholic Church.^[1] The sculpture, admired for its fidelity to the king's features, was later destroyed in the 1698 fire at Whitehall Palace, though plaster casts and copies survive, demonstrating how the multi-view format enabled precise three-dimensional translation from two-dimensional sources.^[24] Van Dyck's innovative composition likely influenced subsequent portraiture, notably Philippe de Champaigne's Triple Portrait of Cardinal de Richelieu (c. 1642), painted to aid Bernini in another bust commission.^[1] This parallel use underscores the practical utility of the triple-view approach for sculptors requiring comprehensive facial data across angles.^[1] The format's adoption in Richelieu's portrait, held in the National Gallery, London, extended the precedent beyond English royal iconography to French ecclesiastical patronage. The work's legacy contributed to broader practices in portraiture and sculpture by establishing multi-angle studies as a standard preparatory tool for capturing likeness in three dimensions, influencing artistic workflows into later centuries despite the loss of Bernini's original bust.^[1]

Cultural and Historical Significance

The triple portrait of Charles I, painted by Anthony van Dyck between late 1635 and before June 1636, holds historical significance as a tool of cultural diplomacy during Charles's personal rule from 1629 to 1640, a period marked by escalating conflicts with Parliament over taxation, religion, and royal prerogative. Commissioned specifically to provide Gian Lorenzo Bernini in Rome with accurate views for a marble bust, the painting facilitated a papal gift presented to Charles and Queen Henrietta Maria on 17 July 1637 at Oatlands Palace, underscoring the king's engagement with continental Catholic artistry amid domestic Protestant anxieties and hopes for a Catholic restoration in England.^[1] The resulting bust, admired for its lifelike quality, was destroyed in the 1698 Whitehall Palace fire, leaving the canvas as the primary artifact of this transalpine artistic exchange.^[1] Culturally, the work exemplifies the Stuart monarchy's strategic deployment of portraiture to assert divine-right absolutism, with Van Dyck's restrained modeling of the king's features conveying poised authority and refinement, distinct from the more dynamic equestrian compositions that emphasized martial dominance. By presenting Charles from three angles—front, left profile, and three-quarter view—the portrait not only served pragmatic sculptural needs but also reinforced the monarch's multifaceted persona, blending intellectual elegance with unyielding sovereignty in a Baroque idiom that elevated English art to European standards.^[12] This approach reflected broader courtly values, including 17th-century fashion details like the longer left-side hair, and contributed to Van Dyck's transformation of British portraiture by infusing it with emotional depth and grandeur.^[1] Its legacy endures in the Royal Collection, acquired by George IV in 1822, symbolizing monarchical resilience post-Civil War and execution; the painting's survival and repatriation after parliamentary sequestration affirmed the continuity of royal iconography under the Restoration. Art historically, it drew from Lorenzo Lotto's earlier triple-view portrait in Charles's own collection and influenced Philippe de Champaigne's 1642 depiction of Cardinal Richelieu, establishing the format's utility in capturing three-dimensional likeness for sculpture and propagation.^[1] Through such innovations, the portrait cemented Van Dyck's pivotal role in shaping perceptions of Stuart kingship, where visual splendor masked underlying political fragilities leading to the 1642 outbreak of civil war.^[12]

References

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Charles I with M. de St. Antoine was the first equestrian portrait ever painted of this king, and Anthony van Dyck purposefully chose this format to enhance ...
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and now ... Becoming court painter to the English king, van Dyck has devoted ...
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[24]
[PDF] Plaster Casts of Bernini's Bust of Charles I - The Burlington Magazine
47. Triple-portrait of Charles I, by Anthony van Dyck. 84.5 cm by 99.7 cm (Her Majesty The Queen, The Royal Collection').
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Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) - Charles I (1600-1649)
Van Dyck had presumably been influenced by Lotto's Portrait of a Man in Three Positions (Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum), which was in Charles I's collection ...
[26]
[PDF] Charles I and Anthony van Dyck portraiture : images of authority and ...
In this thesis, Charles' van Dyck portraits are studied in the context of seventeenth-century ideals of paterfamilias, knight, and gentleman. These ideals ...Missing: triple | Show results with:triple
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Charles I in Three Positions Painting by Anthony van Dyck
“Charles I in Three Positions” (also known as The Triple Portrait of Charles I) was painted around 1635–36, during van Dyck's tenure at the English court. The ...
[28]
The Triple Gaze: Charles I in Three Positions | Art - Vocal Media
He is haunted. His name? Charles I of England. The painting? “Charles I in Three Positions”, a masterpiece by the Flemish court painter Sir Anthony van Dyck.
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Charles I in Three Positions - (Art History II - Fiveable
'Charles I in Three Positions' reflects Anthony van Dyck's deep understanding of royal representation, as he was appointed court painter by Charles I. His ...
[30]
Charles I by Anthony van Dyck - Obelisk Art History
Charles the 1st was a short man, and from this portrait, a slender, delicate fellow. This triple portrait outlived the bust it inspired, which burned in the ...
[31]
https://www.streetsofsalem.com/2013/03/27/seeing-triple/
[32]
Sculpture by Bernini in England - jstor
lost bust of Charles I. And it seems legitimate to suppose that the bust of ... a diamond ring worth six thousand crowns for the sculptor, in addition ...