Often, several copies of the same picture were ordered at one time to be sent as presents to friends and relations.
Usually the artist painted but one himself; the rest were copies by his assistants.
Van Dyck's portraits were designed to suit great houses.

In a small room, which a portrait by Holbein would have decorated nobly, a canvas by Van Dyck would have been overpowering.

In spite of the fact that the expressions on the faces are often intimate and appealing, domesticity is not the mark of his art.

In Van Dyck's picture of our 'heir of fame,' the white linen, the yellow satin, and the armour please us as befitting the lovely face.

There is a glimmer of light on the armour, but you see how different is Van Dyck's treatment of it from Rembrandt's.