User:Nmhmechdesign/Portrait of Sir Robert Shirley

Portrait of Sir Robert Shirley
Artist	Anthony van Dyck
Year	1622
Dimensions	200 cm × 133.4 cm (79 in × 52.5 in)
Location	Petworth House, Petworth, West Sussex, England

The Portrait of Sir Robert Shirley was painted by Sir Anthony van Dyck, a Flemish Baroque artist. It is a portrait of Sir Robert Shirley (c. 1581 – 13 July 1628), the ambassador to the Safavid Shah Abbas (r. 1588–1629), beginning in 1608. This painting was completed in Rome in 1622 and is one of a pair; its pendant depicts Shirley's wife, Lady Teresa Sampsonia, a Circassian noblewoman. It is notable for the rich Persian dress worn by Shirley. Both of these paintings are now in the collection of Petworth House, in West Sussex.

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More belief description on Sire Robert Shirley portrait. The materials used on the portrait is oil paint on canvas. As for the full-length portrait of Sire Robert Shirley of seeing him standing and wearing Persian fabric outfit. looking up on top of Sir Robert Shirley head. He wears a turban with material being made of silk coat (qaba) with gold and silver embroidery. Next, it has rose bow down the centre of ochre sash supporting a scimitar on him. Golden color includes as a overmantel (balapush) embroidered with flower design pattern, figures and worn half off his left shoulder off as a Persian style. On Sir Robert Shirley left arm there a bow in his left hand. By looking closely at Shirley painting there a quiver on the ground at right. In the background there a red curtain already inscribed in yellow, bottom left. Along with a description Sir Robert Shirley portrait of himself. Sir Anthony van Dyck as the artist who did Sir Robert Shirley as a portrait. Sir Anthony van Dyck did a very accuracy job of showing how Persian traditional fabric was wore during 1600's. The painting was done 1622 in West Sussex, England by sir Anthony van Dyck.

Title of portrait was call Teresa, or Teresia Sampsonia, Lady Shirley. Portrait done by Anthony Van Dyck. Year was done on 1622.Size of portrait dimension was 2140 x 1290 mm. Location Rome.

Sir Anthony van Dyck was a well known artist during 1620. The main reason why Sir Anthony did a portrait of Robert Shorley was to do a historical culture accuracy of what traditional Persian men's cloth looked like in the past.Normally Persian would wear cloth in their own country where they came from. He was to show more respect and admire Persian traditional cloth. During 1600 Anthony Van Dyck was being painting as a portrait by Robert Shirley. Especially, Persian cloth was well know to have flower design pattern, along with beautiful smooth silk fabric material. Specially, Anthony Van Dyck had another reason for using Robert Shirley as a Portrait was tell us what kind of man he was as a warrior or a hunter with having royal status. Seeing bow and arrow in the foreground and background, I was amazed by detail on both of them as naturalism element . Clearly see Robert Shirley being a hunter for wild animals in forest. Even as such of Robert Shirley right hand on the handle of the sword. For the posture of Robert Shirley confident brave, masculine man with warrior stand posture too.

Background

Sir Robert Shirley was an English adventure that would travel back and forth on sea while being transport on a sailing ship. Sir Robert Shirley came from England where he was born, to Persian traveling with his brothers. As for Sir Robert Shirley was married to a women name Teresia Sampsonia from Persian. Even though she was a Circassian princess. In the late sixteenth century Sir Robert Shirley knew very well it was riskily of traveling from England to middle east. Normally, traveling in the sea by sailing ship would normally would take many months, even depend on the weather condition. But yet they both got together despite the risk from mother nature wrath of the sea. Robert Shirley does have brother as his sibling. Not just one brother but two brothers instead. Robert Shirley was youngest brother of being born last in Shirley family. In which, Robert Shirley grew up in a wealthy family as upper class citizens .He was the third son of Sir Thomas Sherley or Shirley (1542-1612) position of Treasurer at war. As such for Robert Shirley father being in charge of the wealth and responsibility adult. Location of Robert Shirley where he grew up was at Low Countries of a building mansion at Wiston, West Sussex. Later on Robert Shirley life would change dramatically from a Financial disaster hit Robert Shirley father during 1590s. Such more as a result was Sir Thomas have no choice as a father to force all three of his sons to seek their own fortune abroad. Both of Robert Shirley two older brothers were able to find fortune being wealthy and getting marriage as well. Same result for Robert Shirley of gained wealth with good fortune in his life. Robert Shirley got marriage to Teresia Sampsonia as husband and wife.

Description

Painting portrait of Sire Robert Shirley was located at The British Museum in United Kingdom. In The British Museum there a sketch already drawn by Sir Anthony van Dyck. Which it is display in The British Museum to see in person. Sketch was portrait of Shirley as a full scale human figure. As for the profile and us inscribed 'Ambasciatore di Persia in Roma' (Persian Ambassador to Rome) of having a color notes ' drapo doro' ( gold cloaks). Another to mention 'le figure et gli foliage di colori different de veluto' ( figure and foliage in multi-coloured velvet). As it was suggest that Van dyck was originally struck of seeing clothing donned by Shirley was being an actual portrait that was not commissioned until later. Not only sketch of Shirley was portrait him by Sir Anthony van Dyck. Even Shirley wife Teresia was sketch too of being inscribed "habito et maniera of Persia' (Persian dress and style). Which her sketch was seems consciously to study her portrait, even include the landscape setting too. As for what Anthony Van Dyck portrait, was of Shirley being shown him wearing a qaba embroidered with gold and silver thread, a balapusg that was richly embroidered with figures and flowers along with him. Would normally been made in Persia, that was probably made by royal tailors. For the next two items of the bow and arrow are a token of gentry status. Now for Van Dyck's training with being an Rubens had sharpened his eye for the enriching effect offered by sumptuous garments. Further developing on Van Dyck art skill as a starting point of absorb the lesson of Titian and the other great Venetian colorists. Even further more on detail of being representative of the Shah, Shirley regularly wore formal Persian attire. There were historians and churchman Thomas Fuller later observed; they've appear to be wearing foreign vests as if he were wearing these clothes. Even though of being accounted himself such that it was never ready til he had something with the Persian habit about him' (Fuller 1661, p.572). Result seems that most likely Shirley himself request them painted before his departure from Rome which happen on 20 August 1622. By having Shirley next post as a Persian Ambassador to the court of James I in London, this would've have been nice addition art piece being painted by Anthony van Dyck.

Further reading

• Gary Schwartz, "The Shirleys and the Shah: Persia as the Stakes in a Rogues's Gambit," The fascination of Persia: The Persian-European dialogue in seventeenth-century art & contemporary art of Teheran, ed. Axel Langer, Zürich (Museum Rietberg) and Verlag Scheiddeger & Spiess 2013, pp. 78-99, 294-97, 300-20.

References

Category:1620 paintings Shirley