Figure 1.--This is the Van Dyck painting of the known as the Balbi children, but in fact we do not know who they were. It was probably painted about 1623-27 in Genoa. Two of the children are definitely boys, but the third child is also probably a boy. We are not sure about the youngest child, but he may also be a boy. Note how only the oldest boy has the large ruffled collar that the were common in the 16th century and early 17th century. |
Van Dyck, who was working in London under royal patronage, obtained permission to travel to Italy so that he could study the work of the great masters and refine his craft. Van Dyck in 1621 to traveled to Italy from London to persue his studies. He was officially only in Italy to study, but he in fact moved to Italy. He set up his residence in Genoa which he used as a base to travel throughout Italy. He traveled to Rome, Florence, Bologna, Venice, Turin, and Palermo. Van Dyck's time in Italy had a profound impact on his portraits. Van Dyck traveled extensively throughout Italy, primarilt to view nd study the work of the great masters. It was here that he saw the warm, luminous colors of the Mediterranean and was inspired by the great Reniassance masters. He was paricularly struck by the work of Titian, Veronese, Giorgione, the younger Rubens and Guido Reni. He carried a sketchbook with him to record aspects of these paintings that most impressed him. Van Dyck to support himself while in Italy began doing portrits, especially in Genoa. He son acquired a reputation amongst other artists in the city who began calling him il pittore cavalieresco. Art historians differ somewhat on how to interpret this apelage. Van Dyck is noted for the large numbers of Baroque portraits he made of the Genoese aristocracy and an occassionaly English visitor. He was especially active in Genoa during 1625-27. These portraits establish the image of the Renaissance nobleman that is today fixed in the popular mind. The men look nobel in mind and body. We suspect that Van Dyck altered the looks somewhat to etch brave features and athletic builds. Most of Van Dyk's Genoese portraits are adults. He also painted, however, several wonderful portraits of children. Many of the Van Dyck portaits we have found come from his time in Italy. One of the besk known is a portrait today refered to as the Balbi children.
Van Dyck, who was working in London under royal patronage, obtained permission to travel to Italy so that he could study the work of the great masters and refine his craft. Van Dyck in 1621 to traveled to Italy from London to persue his studies. He was officially only in Italy to study, but he in fact moved to Italy. He set up his residence in Genoa which he used as a base to travel throughout Italy. He traveled to Rome, Florence, Bologna, Venice, Turin, and Palermo. Van Dyck's time in Italy had a profound impact on his portraits. Van Dyck traveled extensively throughout Italy, primarilt to view and study the work of the great masters.
Van Dyck's time in Italy had a profound impact on his portraits. Van Dyck traveled extensively throughout Italy, primarilt to view nd study the work of the great masters. It wss here that he saw the warm, luminous colors of the Mediterranean and was inspired by the great Reniassance masters. He was paricularly struck by the work of Titian, Veronese, Giorgione, the younger Rubens and Guido Reni. He carried a sketchbook with him to record aspects of these paintings that most impressed him. His Italian Sketchbook is currently in the British Museum. His study of the great Renaisance masters greatly affected his own work. Van Dyck decided to mute the Flemish robustness of his early portraits. The result was the refined, elegant style for which he is known today.
Van Dyck to support himself while in Italy began doing portrits, especially in Genoa. He son acquired a reputation amongst other artists in the city who began calling him il pittore cavalieresco. Art historians differ somewhat on how to interpret this apelage.
Some suggest that it cn be translated as "the chivalrous painter" and was a mark of respect. Others seen in the phrase envy if not a sardonic malicious touch and might translate it more as "the uppity painter". Certainly Van Dyck's magnificent works must have caused envy among his competitors. It was during Van Dyck's 6-years in Italy that his style of portrature matured.
Van Dyck is noted for the large numbers of Baroque portraits he made of the Genoese aristocracy and an occassionaly English visitor. He was especially active in Gnoa during 1625-27. Some of the most noted are Robert Shirley, Cardinal Bentivoglio, and Elena Grimaldi Cattaneo. These portraits establish the image of the Renaissance nobleman that is today fixed in the popular mind. The men look nobel in mind and body. We suspect that Van Dyck altered the looks somewhat to etch brave features and athletic builds.
Most of Van Dyck's Genoese portraits are adults. He also painted, however, several wonderful portraits of children. Many of the Van Dyck portaits we have found come from his time in Italy. Images like the Balbi children show us that few artists have exceeded Van Dyck in his ability to capture images of children.
One of the best known Van Dyck portrait from the Genoa period is a portrait today refered to as the Balbi children. It was painted sometime in 1623-27. We know today that the children are not the Balbi children. The portrait is today known as the "Balbi Children" because in the the 18th-century it was purchased by the art collector Costantino Balbi. He had no conection with the now unknown family of these children. The portrait shows three young Genoese children who look to be about 5-9 years old. They almost certainly come from an aristocratic family, but know one knows who they were. Some believe, given the crow in the portrait, that the children belong to the de Franchi family. The de Franchi family has a coat of arms with a black choughs (which look like crows). Some believe the children are Cesare, Giovanni Benedetto, and ???, but some art historiann do not belive that the age of children matches the painting date. There is, however, no documentation supporting this theory. The children are believed to be three boys. The oldest boy wears a large millstone ruff and a doublet richly woven with gold or silver thread. He has matching trunk hose slit open to disply the lining and they are worn with striking scarlet hose. Also notice his sword and hat. The middle boy with the longest hair, perhaps done in natural curls, has a soft collar rather than the fancy ruff his older brother wears. His black doublet has gold frogging. Notice how he has his arm protectively around his baby brother. (one of Van Dyck's great strengths was paonting hands.) The younger brother still wears a long dress. Notice the long ribbons hanging down from his shoulders. The image is a great contrast. It is painted with great solemnity and formality on the steps of a classical building--the setting for some important individual. The children are in their finest clothes yet their faces show the fresh universiality of childhood. This is surely one of the great masterpices of child portraiture.
One aspect of the Renaissance was that artists no longer restictedthemselves almost entirely to religious art. Artists in the 17th cetury did not, however, completely stop doing religious work. Van Dyck was no exception. Van Dyck's most important
religious work while he was in Italy was an altarpiece, "The Madonna of the Rosary" for the Dominican Oratorio del Rosario in Palermo, Sicily. Like many altarpieces, it was a huge canvas. He began working on it during summer 1624 at the same time the deadly plague struck Palermo. He brought it to Genoa where he finally finished it in 1627 just as he was preparing to move back to his birthplace--Antwerp in the Spanish Netherlands.
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