King Charles I with Monsieur de St. Antoine

This monumental equestrian portrait of Charles I is one of the most triumphant and magnificent images of the King. The original was commissioned in 1633 and was probably specifically designed to be hung at the end of the Long Gallery in St. James's Palace, where it made a considerable impression. Van Dyck has depicted Charles I mounted on a white horse in the armour of a general, with a commanders baton and the sash of the Order of the Garter. Charles I was a fine horseman and is shown here riding through an arch, as a ruler who can tame a powerful animal and therefore control disorder in his kingdom. Beside Charles I is Pierre Antoine Bourdon, Seigneur de St. Antoine, riding-master and equerry to the King, who had been sent over by Henry IV of France to the Court of James I in 1603 with a gift of six horses.

Many copies of this painting exist on varying scales, and some were painted during the King's lifetime. However, large scale early copies such as this are relatively rare. According to family tradition, the present version of the portrait was executed at royal request for Sir John Byron, 1st Lord Byron (1599-1652), a devoted royalist. The picture remained in the family collection at Newstead until it was sold in 1772 by the dissolute 5th Lord Byron (1722-1798), known as "the wicked lord" and great-uncle of the poet, who ruined the estate through his eccentric and violent temper.