The Betrayal of Christ (van Dyck, Bristol) is currently in storage. The Betrayal of Christ (van Dyck, Bristol) The Betrayal of Christ is a c.1618-20 painting by Anthony van Dyck. He also produced two other versions of the same subject at around the same time, now in Madrid and Minneapolis. It was acquired by Paul Methuen. He bequeathed it to his cousin and godson Paul Methuen in 1757, who displayed it at Corsham Court. It remained in the family until 1984, when it was accepted by the UK government in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated to Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, which continues to hang it
Anthony van Dyck was provided with a house on the River Thames at Blackfriars, then just outside the City, thus avoiding the monopoly of the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers. A suite of rooms in Eltham Palace, no longer used by the royal family, was also put at his disposal as a country retreat. His Blackfriars studio was frequently visited by the King and Queen (later a special causeway was built to ease their access), who hardly sat for another painter while van Dyck lived. He was an immediate success in England, rapidly painting a large number of portraits of the King and Queen