Charles I, as Prince of Wales
Portrait Miniature
1616 (made)
1616 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Strictly speaking, this is a drawing rather than a miniature, which is a watercolour art. But Balthazar Gerbier, an amateur artist, was also a painter of miniatures and the drawing incorporates some aspects of miniature painting, being on vellum (a fine parchment) and using touches of watercolour.
People
Gerbier was born in The Netherlands but his early education and training are obscure. He must have been schooled in the accomplishments necessary for courtiers, particularly a knowledge of 'war-like machines'. This recommended him to Prince William of Orange, whose service he entered in 1615. In 1616 he was sent to England to work for the Dutch ambassador, but soon after transferred his service to George Villiers, the Earl, and subsequently Duke, of Buckingham. He became the Duke's domestic architect and adviser on matters of art. In 1628, after Buckingham's assassination, Gerbier transferred formally to the service of Charles I.
Historical Associations
This picture was drawn about 1616, when Gerbier had just arrived in England and Charles was formally invested as Prince of Wales. The Latin inscription translates as 'Most illustrious and powerful Prince of Great Britain and Ireland, Prince Charles'. Thus it celebrates the Prince's new standing, an appropriate subject for an ambitious courtier in the making.
Strictly speaking, this is a drawing rather than a miniature, which is a watercolour art. But Balthazar Gerbier, an amateur artist, was also a painter of miniatures and the drawing incorporates some aspects of miniature painting, being on vellum (a fine parchment) and using touches of watercolour.
People
Gerbier was born in The Netherlands but his early education and training are obscure. He must have been schooled in the accomplishments necessary for courtiers, particularly a knowledge of 'war-like machines'. This recommended him to Prince William of Orange, whose service he entered in 1615. In 1616 he was sent to England to work for the Dutch ambassador, but soon after transferred his service to George Villiers, the Earl, and subsequently Duke, of Buckingham. He became the Duke's domestic architect and adviser on matters of art. In 1628, after Buckingham's assassination, Gerbier transferred formally to the service of Charles I.
Historical Associations
This picture was drawn about 1616, when Gerbier had just arrived in England and Charles was formally invested as Prince of Wales. The Latin inscription translates as 'Most illustrious and powerful Prince of Great Britain and Ireland, Prince Charles'. Thus it celebrates the Prince's new standing, an appropriate subject for an ambitious courtier in the making.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Charles I, as Prince of Wales (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour, shaded with graphite on vellum |
| Brief description | Portrait of Charles I, as Prince of Wales. Miniature by Balthasar Gerbier, 1616 |
| Physical description | Portrait half-length, to left and looking to front. The sitter is wearing a ruff collar and a chain over his shoulders. The portrait is set in a decorated border with a coat of arms and the feathers of the Prince of Wales above. Features in dark grey-brown stipple over perhaps a faint pale brown under drawing on the bare vellum; hair in pale brown stipple and line, shaded with graphite; collar, bare vellum slightly lined with pale brown; costume in pale brown stipple; architectural surround similarly in stipple and line, 'ruled' also in parallel and concentric lines and with some graphite shading; a ruled marginal strip; on unsupported vellum. Frame: Nineteenth-century frame of tortoiseshell and stained oak, with gilt-lined rebate. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Limning (painting miniatures) was regarded as a gentlemanly accomplishment. The artist, Sir Balthasar Gerbier, was a courtier who later went abroad on political and picture-buying missions for the Duke of Buckingham.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by John Jones |
| Object history | Provenance: Acquired by John Jones from an unrecorded source before 1865, and by him bequeathed to the Museum, 1882. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type Strictly speaking, this is a drawing rather than a miniature, which is a watercolour art. But Balthazar Gerbier, an amateur artist, was also a painter of miniatures and the drawing incorporates some aspects of miniature painting, being on vellum (a fine parchment) and using touches of watercolour. People Gerbier was born in The Netherlands but his early education and training are obscure. He must have been schooled in the accomplishments necessary for courtiers, particularly a knowledge of 'war-like machines'. This recommended him to Prince William of Orange, whose service he entered in 1615. In 1616 he was sent to England to work for the Dutch ambassador, but soon after transferred his service to George Villiers, the Earl, and subsequently Duke, of Buckingham. He became the Duke's domestic architect and adviser on matters of art. In 1628, after Buckingham's assassination, Gerbier transferred formally to the service of Charles I. Historical Associations This picture was drawn about 1616, when Gerbier had just arrived in England and Charles was formally invested as Prince of Wales. The Latin inscription translates as 'Most illustrious and powerful Prince of Great Britain and Ireland, Prince Charles'. Thus it celebrates the Prince's new standing, an appropriate subject for an ambitious courtier in the making. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 621-1882 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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