St. Bruno

Anthonis Van Dyck achieved his fame as an outstanding portraitist, who worked in London, at the court of Charles I of England. Van Dyck´s specialization in portraiture can also be seen in this painting. It represents Saint Bruno (c. 1030-1101), who founded the Order of the Carthusians. Even though he was only canonized in 1623, Bruno enjoyed great respect even in the Middle Ages, being beatified in 1514. Bruno, who lived about half a millenium before Anthonis van Dyck, shows distinct portrait features and it can be conjectured that the artist´s sitter was one of his contemporaries, whose identity still remains unknown. Likewise other elements used by van Dyck in this canvas - such as the motif of the window partly covered with a red curtain, and the vista of the landscape, remind us of his portraits, particularly those dated before 1620, when he lived in Antwerp.