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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
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Sir Philip Sidney in the character of Author of ye Arcadia

Drawing
ca.1640 (drawn)
Artist/Maker
Dobson, William (artist)
Place of origin
London (drawn)

Study for a full length portrait of a young nobleman as a shepherd; Inscribed Sir Philip Sidney in the character of Author of ye Arcadia; Drawn with black chalk on grey paper, heightened with white.


Object details

Category
Drawings
Object type
Drawing
TitleSir Philip Sidney in the character of Author of ye Arcadia (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
drawn with black chalk on grey paper, heightened with white
Grey Paper
Black Chalk
Drawing (Image-Making)
Heightening
Brief description
Dobson, William (1611-1646), attrib.; Study for a full length portrait of a young nobleman as a shepherd (copy of a portait of Lord George Stuart, Seigneur d'Aubigny by Sir Anthony van Dyck); Inscribed 'Sir Philip Sidney in the character of Author of ye Arcadia'; Drawn with black chalk on grey paper, heightened with white; English School; ca.1640.
Physical description
Study for a full length portrait of a young nobleman as a shepherd; Inscribed Sir Philip Sidney in the character of Author of ye Arcadia; Drawn with black chalk on grey paper, heightened with white.
Dimensions
  • Height: 12.6in
  • Width: 8.8in
Original measurements converted from fractional inches into decimal inches (rounded to one decimal place). Dimensions taken from: DYCE COLLECTION. A Catalogue of the Paintings, Miniatures, Drawings, Engravings, Rings and Miscellaneous Objects Bequeathed by The Reverend Alexander Dyce. London : South Kensington Museum, 1874.
Style
English School
Marks and inscriptions
Inscribed on the mount Sir Philip Sidney in the character of Author of ye Arcadia.
Credit line
Bequeathed by Rev. Alexander Dyce
Object history
Collections - Jonathan Richardson, senior; Rev. Alexander Dyce

Historical significance: This drawing is a copy of a portrait by Sir Anthony Van Dyck, Lord George Stuart, Seigneur d'Aubigny (1618-1642), painted ca.1638-40. Its status is unclear; while the attribution to Dobson is traditional, it has been suggested (Rogers, 1994) that it could have originated in Van Dyck's studio as a preparatory study for the painting.
Production
This drawing has been described as 'Studio (?) of Anthony van Dyck'. The attribution to William Dobson is traditional; however, as no other drawings by Dobson are known it remains speculative.
Subjects depicted
Nobleman
Shepherd
Bibliographic references
  • DYCE COLLECTION. A Catalogue of the Paintings, Miniatures, Drawings, Engravings, Rings and Miscellaneous Objects Bequeathed by The Reverend Alexander Dyce. London : South Kensington Museum, 1874.
  • Owens, Susan, The Art of Drawing British Masters and Methods since 1600, V&A Publishing, London, 2013, p. 43, fig. 24
  • Susan Barnes, Nora De Poorter, Oliver Millar and Horst Vey, Van Dyck: A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2004), no. IV.15, pp.439-440 (p.440).
  • Malcolm Rogers, 'Van Dyck's Portrait of Lord George Stuart, Seignuer d'Aubigny, and some related works', in Van Dyck 350: Studies in the History of Art, 46, ed. by Susan J. Barnes and Arthur K. Wheelock, Hanover and London 1994, pp.263-279 (pp.269-270).
  • John Woodward, Tudor and Stuart Drawings (London: Faber and Faber, 1951), p.29 and no.19, p.47.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
DYCE.614

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Record createdOctober 29, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1139568/sir-philip-sidney-in-the-drawing-dobson-william/
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