Anthony van Dyck: An Andalusian Horse

SIR ANTHONY VAN DYCK (ANTWERP, Belgium, 1599-1641 LONDON), *An Andalusian horse* (recto); A wooded landscape – a sketch (verso), oil on canvas, 52 x 41 ¾ in. (132 x 106 cm.), including a horizontal extension of 2 ¾ in. (7 cm.) along the upper edge, Image Source: Christie’s

“While he was still in his teens, Anthony van Dyck swiftly worked his way up the ranks in Peter Paul Rubens’s studio in Antwerp. Rubens would go on to describe him as ‘the best of my pupils’… aware of the younger man’s love of horses, Rubens gifted one of the finest steeds from his stable for Van Dyck’s use on his travels. According to Thomas Gambier Parry, the esteemed 19th-century collector, the horse in question was traditionally thought to have been the same one as appears in the painting An Andalusian horse. This landmark work by Van Dyck is being offered in Old Masters Part I at Christie’s on 3 December 2024, during London Classic Week.”

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