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On Sunday 13 July, the Tempo Half Marathon will begin and end at Compton Verney.

Please note that we are still open to visitors on this day, however there will be a rolling road block in the morning, and the site may be busier than usual due to this event so please allow yourself more time to travel.

The Image of a King

31 March 2012 – 16 September 2012

About the
exhibition

Antwerp-born Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641) is one of Britain’s best-loved artists – a virtuoso portraitist who excelled in creating imposing images of King Charles I and his family during the 1630s. Possibly Van Dyck’s most impressive and original court portrait was the superb Charles I in Three Positions of 1635, a work which not only captures the certainty of the monarch’s beliefs but also conveys his wistful, reserved and doomed air.

It was painted for the great sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini as a guide to the King’s features for a marble portrait bust (now lost). This fabulous picture,  on loan from the Royal Collection, was shown in British Portraits alongside Compton Verney’s portrait bust of Charles I, itself a copy of the original by Bernini.

Image of a King, Installation View © Compton Verney, photo by Jamie Woodley