[q. v.], who was agent for Charles I in the Netherlands and became acquainted with Van Dyck, purchased from the painter at Antwerp a picture of ‘Rinaldo and Armida,’ which he brought over and delivered to the king. This is probably the picture now in the possession of the Duke of Newcastle at Clumber. Van Dyck painted Porter's portrait in 1631. In May 1631 he was in Antwerp, for he stood sponsor at the christening of a daughter of Lucas Vorsterman. Before the end of 1631 the overtures to Van Dyck had been so far successful that he seems to have seriously contemplated removing to England. According to a tradition handed down to Vertue from Remigius Van Leemput [q. v.], the painter, this was due to the Duke of Buckingham, who saw Van Dyck at Antwerp, and had his portrait painted by him. This portrait he showed to Charles I, who ordered Van Dyck to be sent for. He came and drew the portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria. This the king showed to Daniel Mytens [q. v.], then court painter, who at once asked leave to withdraw to his native land, since the king had got a better painter. Van Dyck asked leave to return and settle his affairs before coming to reside in England. The negotiations were, however, delayed by the shifty conduct of another political agent and artist, Sir Balthasar Gerbier [q. v.], who in December 1631 offered Lord-treasurer Weston for the king or queen a small painting by Van Dyck which he had bought in Brussels. Geldorp seems to have heard from Van Dyck that this picture was only a copy, and to have told the lord treasurer so. In consequence of this Van Dyck drew back and postponed his journey, which was ostensibly only to bring over the portraits of the Infanta and Marie de Médicis as presents to the king and queen. Instead of coming to England, Van Dyck seems to have gone into Holland and painted portraits at the court of Frederic Henry of Orange in the Hague. To this journey may be ascribed the famous visit to Frans Hals, with the picturesque exchange of portraits and compliments between the two painters, and also the full-length portrait of the young princes, Charles Louis and Rupert, sons of the exiled king and queen of Bohemia (at Vienna).
By April 1632 Van Dyck had arrived in London, and lodged with Edward Norgate [q. v.] in the Blackfriars. Charles I took immediate steps to find him a suitable lodging, consulted Inigo Jones upon the matter, paid Norgate's expenses, and finally assigned Van Dyck a house in the Blackfriars and apartments for the summer in the royal palace at Eltham in Kent. In the Blackfriars Van Dyck was the neighbour of Cornelius Janssen [q. v.] and other artists, who had selected that neighbourhood as being outside the jurisdiction of the guilds in the city of London. Charles I treated the painter with unusual honour. On 5 July 1632 Van Dyck was knighted at St. James's Palace, and is described as principal painter in ordinary to their majesties. The king bestowed on him a heavy gold chain, with the king's portrait set in brilliants, and this chain is conspicuous in Van Dyck's later portraits of himself. The king and queen were constant visitors to Van Dyck's studio, and a special landing-stage was erected at Blackfriars to allow of the royal party passing easily to the painter's house. Van Dyck now commenced a series of portraits of the royal family which in themselves would be sufficient to establish him in the front rank of painters. The earliest seems to have been the large group of the king and queen and their two children. This group is at Windsor Castle, where are also the great portrait of Charles I on horseback, attended by an equerry, of which other versions exist, a full-length of the king in royal robes, and the famous painting of the king's head in three positions, which was sent to the sculptor Bernini at Rome for him to make a bust from. Among the portraits of Henrietta Maria at Windsor are two said to have been ordered from Van Dyck for the same purpose. Elsewhere the most noteworthy portraits of the king and queen are the great equestrian portrait of Charles, formerly at Blenheim, and now in the National Gallery, the full-lengths of the king and queen, which have passed through the Wharton and Houghton collections to the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, and, above all, the famous portrait, ‘Le Roi à la Chasse,’ in the Louvre at Paris, which may safely be ranked among the finest portraits in the world. The portraits of the queen are very numerous and of varying excellence, but special note may be made of those at Longford Castle and at Dresden. The queen extended her patronage of Van Dyck so far as to send for his pastor-brother from the Netherlands to be one of her chaplains. The king gave him in 1633 a pension of 200l. per annum. In March 1634 Van Dyck returned to Antwerp, probably to settle certain family affairs, for he then gave his sister Susanna a deed of temporary power to administer his affairs, thus showing that he did not consider his stay in England to be a permanent one. At Antwerp he enjoyed the favour of the new regent, Don Ferdinand of Austria, whom he painted, and executed some other important works, such as the family of Count John of
