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| Anthony van Dyck Self-portrait ca. 1622-23 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| Anthony van Dyck Portrait of King Charles I ca. 1638 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
ON THE MARCH TO SINOPE
Mithridates, glorious and powerful,
lord of great cities,
possessor of mighty armies and fleets
on his way to Sinope, happened to pass through
a road in the country, off the beaten path,
where a soothsayer had his dwelling.
Mithridates sent one of his officers
to ask the soothsayer how many more good things
he would acquire in the future, how many more powers.
He sent one of his officers, and then
continued his march toward Sinope.
The soothsayer retired to a secret room.
After half an hour or so he came out
in deep thought and said to the officer,
"I could not distinguish with sufficient clarity.
Today is doubtless not an appropriate day.
I saw certain shadowy things. I did not understand well. –
But the king ought to be content, in my opinion, with what he has.
Any more would expose him to great perils.
Officer, remember to tell him this:
In God's name, let him be content with what he has!
Fortune makes unexpected reversals.
Remember to tell King Mithridates this:
Very rarely is found the noble companion of his ancestor
who in the nick of time traces on the earth
with his spear the salutary advice: 'FLEE, MITHRIDATES'."
– from The Complete Poems of Cavafy, translated by Rae Dalven (1961)
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| Anthony van Dyck Portrait of Philadelphia and Elisabeth Wharton 1640 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| Anthony van Dyck Portrait of Lady Jane Goodwin, with Tulip 1639 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| Anthony van Dyck Portrait of Sir Thomas Wharton 1639 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| Anthony van Dyck Portrait of Sir Thomas Chaloner ca. 1638-39 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| Anthony van Dyck Portrait of Henry Danvers, Earl of Denby ca. 1638-39 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
Henry Danvers (above) wears a large black patch next to his left eye. It reportedly covers a scar, though it is difficult to believe the scar would have been more conspicuous than the patch. Perhaps concealment was only part of its function. We know that large black patches were also worn by men in this period solely for ornamentation (as below).
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| Daniel Dumonstier Portrait of young man with beauty spot 1632-33 colored chalks Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| Anthony van Dyck Portrait of Nicholas Rockox 1621 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| Anthony van Dyck Portrait of Pieter Brueghel the Younger ca. 1628-32 drawing Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| attributed to Anthony van Dyck Portrait of Cornelis Schut ca. 1628-36 wash drawing Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| Anthony van Dyck Family portrait ca. 1621 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| Anthony van Dyck Portrait of Everhard Jabach 1636-37 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| Anthony van Dyck Portrait of Inigo Jones ca. 1630-35 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| Anthony van Dyck Portrait of Virginio Cesarini (Barberini courtier, Rome) c1623-24 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |