Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Arundel

Anthony van Dyck

about 1620–1621

Oil on canvas, Oil, Canvas

J. Paul Getty Museum

A man with a beard and mustache wears a ruffled collar and dark clothing, seated in a chair. He holds a rolled document in his left hand and a small object in his right. Depicted three-quarter length, the Earl of Arundel sits before a tapestry curtain on the left and a landscape background on the right. The long, tapering fingers of his left hand hold the gold medallion of Saint George, one of the emblems worn by the twenty-four knights who made up the most eminent and noble circle around the king. His elongated, pale face contrasts with the white ruff around his neck and the scarlet chair upon which he sits. Turned slightly towards the viewer, the expression on Arundel's face is alert but reserved. Arundel was one of the great patrons and collectors of art in England in the early 1600s. He was best