The Shepherd Paris (van Dyck) in the Wallace Collection. It was acquired by Henry Hope prior to 1807 before being bought by Francis Charles Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford when the Hope collection was sold at Christie's on 29 June 1816. At that time, it was thought to be a self-portrait of van Dyck himself. The Marquess intended to bequeath the painting to George IV but he outlived the king and was unable to do so. The Shepherd Paris (van Dyck) The Shepherd Paris is a c.1628 painting by the Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck, dating to just after the artist's return from Italy and
Anthony van Dyck the request of Charles I of England. With the exception of Holbein, van Dyck and his contemporary Diego Velázquez were the first painters of pre-eminent talent to work mainly as court portraitists, revolutionising the genre. He is best known for his portraits of European aristocracy, most notably Charles I and his family and associates; Van Dyck became the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next 150 years. He also painted mythological and biblical subjects, including altarpieces, displayed outstanding facility as a draughtsman, and was an important innovator in watercolour and etching. His superb brushwork, apparently rather quickly painted, can