This baroque piece is Queen Henrietta Maria and her Dwarf Sir Jeffrey Hudson. It is an oil on canvas painting painted by by Anthony Van Dyck in 1633 in modern-day Belgium (then, Flanders). The painting was probably funded by the Henrietta Maria or the king; they were one of Anthony Van Dyck’s main patrons (he painted over thirty portraits for them).

In the painting itself, I found the woman’s expression and appearance, along with the young man’s (from other research, I found that Jeffrey Hudson would be approximately thirteen when the picture was painted) expression, interesting and intriguing. The woman’s expression of serenity seems different from the other, dramatic baroque expressions on other paintings that I saw in the packet. She also seems to be portraying motherliness to Hudson, even though he was used like a clown or jester in the actual court. Her gestures also seem very delicate and ladylike, as was normal for nobles at the time, but unlike other portraits, her posture seems less stiff and more natural. I also liked the different shades of blue in her outfit (it created an interesting depth and almost texture), which along with the pale white color used to paint her skin, seemed to emphasize her as a person and her majesty as a queen. She seems to radiate power and wealth, as seen in the crown beside her. Her bearing overall reads as regal and self-important, which, juxtaposed with the motherliness of her relations to Hudson, seemed interesting to me. The expression on Hudson’s face is also interesting; it seems to be a combination of admiration for Henrietta and horror directed toward the monkey (I thought that the fact that Anthony Van Dyck placed the monkey in a royal portrait a little bit odd). He is painted like a small child in the painting, which is accentuated due to the long hair. In my opinion, his outfit, the colors he was painted with, and expression seems to serve the purpose of the reader admiring Henrietta more in contrast and seeing her regalness and beauty compared to him. I also liked that the painting, while fancy and royal, lacked the over-ornateness of other pieces, such as those in Versailles.

This painting, although not as dramatic as some others, is a good example of a baroque piece. The way Henrietta is painted (in dark blues, to contrast her from the background) emphasizes her and her power as a strong queen. This connects to the idea of monarchs and sovereignty, in which people of this time period seized all power in their state and ruled absolutely, controlling their subjects’ lives. The crown, painted beside her, also emphasizes her power. The baroque style of light also is seen in the painting, especially in the light being reflected off the curtain behind the crown (showing it and the power of the queen) and the reflectiveness of the blue dress and the gold lace (emphasizing Henrietta’s face). The sumptuousness of the picture is also very baroque, and illustrates the power and wealth important to absolute monarchs at the time. The viewer can also see some French influence in the portrait (the sumptuousness and formality), due to the fact that Henrietta was from France. To conclude, the painting illustrates the baroque style of the 1600’s.