Portrait of Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Arundel

Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, was one of the great collectors in the England of Charles I, gathering antique sculpture and a huge collection of drawings in his London house. Rubens met him during his stay in England in 1629 and 1630 and called him an evangelist for the world of art. He painted him three times. In two of those portraits Arundel appears as a man of action, in armour, looking straight at the viewer. Here he is thoughtful, even stern, gazing away from us, his face lit clear of shadow above a plain white collar. The one sign of rank is the medal on the blue ribbon, the Lesser George of the Order of the Garter, the highest order of chivalry. Rubens is known to have called at his house in August 1629, yet the sitter wears a fur-lined winter coat, so the portrait may have been painted the following winter.