Self-portrait with Sir Endymion Porter

Portrait of Endymion Porter by William Dobson, 1634-35.

Self-portrait with Sir Endymion Porter is a self-portrait by Anthony van Dyck, showing him with his patron Sir Endymion Porter.

Painting

The painting was produced in 1635 and measures 119 cm by 127 cm. It is now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.^[1]

It is van Dyck's only self-portrait to include another figure, showing Porter's importance in his life. The pair had first met in 1620, during van Dyck's first stay in London. Porter was Charles I of England's main art dealer, negotiating to acquire the vast art collection of the Duke of Mantua and also collecting art for himself. He also knew Peter Paul Rubens and Orazio Gentileschi. Van Dyck presented the double portrait to Porter himself - it was later acquired by Isabella Farnese, who owned it by 1745, and passed from her collection to the Prado.

References

Sources

• Gian Pietro Bellori, Vite de' pittori, scultori e architecti moderni, Turín, Einaudi, 1976.
• Didier Bodart, Van Dyck, Prato, Giunti, 1997.
• Christopher Brown, Van Dyck 1599-1641, Milán, RCS Libri, 1999. ISBN 88-17-86060-3
• Justus Müller Hofstede, Van Dyck, Milán, Rizzoli/Skira, 2004.
• Stefano Zuffi, Il Barocco, Verona, Mondadori, 2004.

Notes

1. See: La llave del Prado, por Consuelo Luca de Tena y Manuela Mena, Madrid, Ed. Sílex, 1990.

External links

• Catalogue entry - Museo del Prado