RICHARD EARLOM (1743-1822) AFTER SIR ANTHONY VAN DYCK (1599-1641)
Portrait Of James Stuart, Duke Of Richmond
Published 1773
mezzotint
55cm x 37cm

This portrait is after one of the most brilliantly painted of Van Dyck’s English portraits, and the original probably dates from late 1633 or early 1634. The Order of the Garter’s insignia are conspicuously displayed: the silver star on the mantle; the red and gold Jewel, or lesser George, suspended from the broad ribbon on the chest; and the garter, visible below the bow at Stuart’s left knee and set off by the pale silk stocking. The greyhound is a familiar symbol of nobility and of loyalty.

James Stuart was a loyal supporter of his cousin Charles I and served in high posts at court, such as Gentleman of the Bedchamber and Lord Steward of the Household. He was installed as Knight of the Garter on November 6, 1633, and in 1641 was created Duke of Richmond. When he married the Duke of Buckingham’s daughter, Mary Villiers, in 1637, the king gave the bride away. During the 1640s Stuart contributed large sums to the royal cause in the Civil War; both his younger brothers (the subjects of Van Dyck’s superb full-length double portrait, of 1638, in the National Gallery, London), the Lords John and Bernard, died fighting for the king, in 1644 and 1645.