Anthony van Dyck

Van Dyck was accustomed early to Rubens’ sumptuous lifestyle; and, when he visited Italy with letters of introduction from his master, lived in the palaces of his patrons, himself adopting such an elegant ostentation that he was spoken of as ‘the Cavalier Painter’. After his return to Antwerp his patrons belonged to the rich and noble class, and his own style of living was modelled on theirs; so t...