Flemish Baroque portrait artist Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599 – 1641) was amongst one of the first painters of pre-eminent talent to work mainly as a court portraitist, revolutionising the genre. He is best known for his portraits of the aristocracy, most notably Charles I, and his family and associates. Van Dyck’s era-defining portraits brought emotion, movement and exotic costumes to English portrait painting; he became the dominant influence for the next 150 years.