Galerie Paul Prouté

Originally from Antwerp, Antoon van Dyck was born in 1599 into a prosperous family. The son of a wealthy cloth merchant and a mother who was an embroiderer, he showed an early aptitude for drawing and, at the age of ten, entered the workshop of the painter Hendrick van Balen (1573–1632). His precocious talent and rapid progress soon opened the doors of the workshop of Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640). In contact with the Antwerp master, with whom he collaborated on several occasions, Van Dyck quickly established himself as one of the most promising artists of his generation. This reputation earned him numerous commissions, including on a European scale, and frequently led him to leave his native city. Today, Van Dyck is primarily recognized for his work as a painter and draughtsman rather than for his engraved oeuvre. Nevertheless, his etchings enjoyed considerable success among collectors of his time and contributed greatly to the dissemination of his reputation throughout Europe.