Self portrait, c.1630 (oil on oak panel)

By Daniel Mytens This self-portrait was probably painted for Charles I in about 1630; the king’s ‘cr’ brand appears on the back of the panel. According to Van der Doort’s inventory dating from the late 1630s, it was placed, ‘above the doore in the litle roome Betwene Withdrawing roome … and the longe gallorie’ at the palace of Whitehall near to self-portraits by both Rubens (RCIN 400156) and Van Dyck. Mytens’s physical placement beside these two powerhouses of Flemish painting is more than justified by this subtle, composed self-portrait. The artist presents himself dressed in plain, black clothing with a fine lace-edged falling ruff. Like most self-portraits produced in England at this time, Mytens makes no visual reference to his profession, instead depicting himself as the ideal courtier, a man of grace, style and intellect. The artist’s impeccable Netherlandish draughtsmanship and clear understanding of colour are particularly evident in the creamy flesh tones and tiny feather-like brush strokes that make up his beard and animate his features.