Lot 58 relates to the prime version of a painting by Sir Anthony van Dyck (Flemish 1599-1641) entitled 'Charles I on Horseback with M. de St Antoine' held in The Royal Collection (www.rct.uk) dated 1633, which was painted on a monumental scale and originally hung at the end of the Gallery at St James's Palace for which it was probably designed. It is one of the most celebrated and well-known images of Charles I, showing him not only to be a fine horseman, but in a pose to suggest that he was a ruler who could both control a powerful animal, and also the passion and disorder in his kingdom (K. Sharpe, Politics and Ideas in Early Stuart England, London, 1989, pp.44-7).

It has been suggested that our version of the picture may have once been of a similar scale and reduced in size because the outer parts of the composition were unresolved. Believed to be from the studio of Sir Anthony van Dyke, appointed as Principalle Paynter in Ordinary to King Charles I and his Queen in 1632, this version is a large unfinished oil sketch likely produced by his studio assistant, and due to be finished by van Dyke himself. However, it is thought it was most likely to have been left unfinished due to the start of the English Civil Wars (1639-1653).

The picture was formerly in the collection of Richard Cosway, the leading portrait painter of the Regency period who, in 1785, was appointed Painter to the Princes of Wales (1785) - the only time this title was ever awarded. Together with his wife Maria they were very close to the Prince, and he was a frequent visitor at Maria's glittering salons and concerts.

AUCTION DETAILS

Tuesday 14 December | 10.30am GMT
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

This is a Live auction.

VIEWING:
There are a variety of ways that you can view the auction:   

• Viewing in Newbury:
  • Friday 10 December: 10am-5pm
    
  • Sunday 12 December: 10am-2pm
  • Monday 13 December: 10am-5pm
  • Day of sale: from 8.30am
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• Condition reports can be provided upon request.

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Archive, Image & Music Credits
IMAGE A View of St James's Palace Pall Mall. Date: 1753 | Thomas Bowles (1707–1753); Thomas Bowles, after (1707–1753) | Yale Center for British Art | Public Domain
IMAGE: Titus, Emperor of Rome. Line engraving, 16 – | after A Sadeler after Titian | Wellcome Collection | Public Domain
IMAGE: A Roman emperor sitting in a niche holding a sceptre in his raised left hand and a globe in his right hand | Marcantonio Raimondi (1480-1534), Giulio Romano (1499-1546) | The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949 | Metropolitan Museum of Art | Public Domain
IMAGE: Sir Anthony van Dyck | Self Portrait circa 1640 | The History Blog | Public Domain
MUSIC: Tombeau de Vivaldi | created by Spearfisher | Artlist