Anthony van Dyck, 'The Giustiniani Longo Children (?)', 1626-7
About the work
Overview
Three dashing young boys stand on the steps of an impressive building. They were long believed to represent the Balbi children because the painting was once in the collection of the wealthy Balbi family in Genoa. But new research suggests these boys belonged to another prominent Genoese family; they are in fact Alessandro, Vincenzo and Francesco Maria Giustiniani Longo.
The three brothers wear expensive garments – satin, velvet and brocade, silver and gold braid, with fine ruffs, collars and lace cuffs – and they are full of life, ready to be off at any moment. Van Dyck’s fine highlights and sensitive modelling show us what each bright-eyed boy looked like, but it is his subtle and delicate observation of their movements and interactions that conveys their personalities in a groundbreaking way. He formulated a new style of portraiture that was hugely influential for centuries to come.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Portrait of Alessandro, Vincenzo and Francesco Maria Giustiniani Longo (?)
- Artist
- Anthony van Dyck
- Artist dates
- 1599 - 1641
- Date made
- 1626-7
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 219 × 151 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1985
- Inventory number
- NG6502
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Frame
- 18th-century English Frame
Provenance
In the collection of Costantino Balbi, Genoa, 1724; Palazzo Giacomo Balbi, from 1740 until 1823; collection of Marchesa Violantina Spinola, Palazzo Spinola, 1823; purchased by ‘Monsieur Hill’; collection of William, 2nd Baron Berwick (1770–1832), Attingham House, Shropshire, by 1824 or 1825; sold through the dealer Samuel Woodburn to Thomas Philip, 2nd Earl de Grey, 1842; by marriage to the collection of the Earls Cowper at Panshanger; purchased by private treaty sale with a contribution from the J. Paul Getty Endowment Fund, 1985.
Additional information
Text extracted from the National Gallery’s Annual Report, ‘The National Gallery Report: January 1985 – December 1987’.
Bibliography
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1758C.-N. Cochin, II, Voyage d'italie, Paris 1758
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1766C.G. Ratti, Instruzione di quanto può vedersi di più bello in Genova in pittura, scultura, ed architettura ecc, Geneva 1766
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1780C.G. Ratti, Instruzione di quanto può vedersi di più bello in Genova in pittura, scultura, ed architettura ecc, Geneva 1780
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1819Nouvelle description des beautés de Gênes et de ses environs, Genoa 1819
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1854G.F. Waagen, Treasures of Art in Great Britain: Being and Account of the Chief Collections of Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures, Illuminated Mss. […], vol. 2, trans. E. Eastlake, London 1854
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1857W. Bürger, Trésors d'art exposés à Manchester en 1857 et provenant des collections royales, des collections publiques et des collections particulières de la Grande Bretagne par W. Burger, Paris 1857
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1857G. Scharf, Catalogue of the Art Treasures of the United Kingdom: Collected at Manchester in 1857, London 1857
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1860F. Kugler and G.F. Waagen, Handbook of Painting: The German, Flemish, and Dutch Schools, London 1860
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1862G.F. Waagen, Handbuch der deutschen und niederländischen Maler Schuler, trans. E. Eastlake, Stuttgart 1862
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1867A.A. Lavice, Revue des musées d'Angleterre, Paris 1867
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1871Royal Academy of Arts, Exhibition of the Works of the Old Masters associated with the Works of Deceased Masters of the British School (exh. cat. Royal Academy of Arts, 1871), London 1871
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1882J. Guiffrey, Antoine van Dyck: Sa vie et son oeuvre, Paris 1882
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1885M.L. Boyle, Biographical Catalogue of the Portraits at Panshanger, London 1885
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1887'The Grosvenor Exhibition (Second Notice)', The Athenaeum, 1887
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1887J.A. Blaikie, 'Van Dyck', Magazine of Art, X, 1887, pp. 198-206
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1900L.H. Cust, Anthony van Dyck: An Historical Study of his Life and Works, London 1900
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1909E. Schaeffer, Van Dyck: Des Meisters Gemälde, Stuttgart 1909
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1911L.H. Cust, Anthony Van Dyck: A Further Study, London 1911
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1917Lady Lucas, Wrest and Lucas Pictures, Hampshire 1917
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1931G. Glück, Van Dyck, des Meisters Gemälde, Stuttgart 1931
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1946A. Morassi, Mostra della Pittura del 600 e 700 in Liguria al trecento al cinquecento (exh. cat. Palazzo Reale (Milan), 1946), Genoa 1946
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1950L. van Puyvelde, Van Dyck, Brussels 1950
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1958G. Balbi, 'Fatti e misfatti di un Palazzo Balbi', Genova, XXXV/8, 1958, pp. 28-9
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1966L. van Puyvelde, 'Unité et diversité dans l'art et la technique de Van Dyck', Le Mont des arts et des arts graphiques, II, 1966
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1986S.J. Barnes, Van Dyck in Italy, Phd Thesis, New York University 1986
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1987C. Brown, The National Gallery Schools of Painting: Flemish Paintings, London 1987
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1987F. Lamera and G. Pigafetta (eds), Il palazzo dell'Università di Genova: Il collegio dei Gesuiti nella strada dei Balbi, Geneva 1987
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1987P. Boccardo, 'Per la storia della quadreria di Palazzo Spinola', in Palazzo Spinola a Pellicceria: Quaderni della Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola, Genoa 1987, pp. 62-86
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1988National Gallery, The National Gallery Report: January 1985 - December 1987, London 1988
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1988E. Larsen, The Paintings of Anthony van Dyck, Freren 1988
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1991C.-N. Cochin, II, Le voyage d'Italie de Charles-Nicolas Cochin (1758): Édité en facsimile avec une introduction et des notes [par] Christian Michel, ed. C. Michel, facsimile edn, Rome 1991
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1992M. Jaffé, 'Sammler in Genua: Der Einfluss flämischer Besucher', in Kunst in der Republik Genua: 1528-1815, Frankfurt 1992, pp. 24-31
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1994A. Moir, Anthony Van Dyck, New York 1994
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1994P. Boccardo, 'Ritratti di Genovesi di Rubens e di van Dyck: Contesto ed identificazioni', Studies in the History of Art, XLVI, 1994, pp. 77-102
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1994M. Jaffé, 'On some Portraits Painted by Van Dyck in Italy, Mainly in Genoa', in S.J. Barnes and A.K. Wheelock (eds), Van Dyck 350, Washington 1994, pp. 132-50
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1997S.J. Barnes et al., Van Dyck: Grande pittura e collezionismo a Genova (exh. cat. Palazzo Ducale (Genoa), 22 March - 13 July 1997), Genoa 1997
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1999H. Vlieghe and C. Brown, Van Dyck 1599-1641, Antwerp and London 1999
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1999A. Roy, 'The National Gallery van Dycks: Technique and Development', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, XX, 1999, pp. 50‑83
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1999R. White, 'Van Dyck's Paint Medium', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, XX, 1999, pp. 84-8
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
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2002M. Autin Graz, Children in Painting, Milano 2002
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2003O. Calabrese and C. Strinati, Persone: Ritratti di Gruppo da Van Dyck a De Chirico, Milano 2003
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2004H. Vey et al., Van Dyck: A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, New Haven 2004
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2007M. Neumeister (ed.), The Changing Face of Childhood: British Children's Portraits and their Influence in Europe, Cologne 2007
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2012H. Brigstocke, 'James Irvine: A Scottish Artist in Italy. Picture Buying in Italy for William Buchanan and Arthur Champernowne', The Walpole Society, LXXIV, 2012, pp. 245-479
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2016F. Simonetti, 'I bambini genovesi ritratti da Van Dyck: Ansaldo Pallavicino', in F. Simonetti and G. Zanelli (eds), Van Dyck tra Genova e Palermo: Liechtenstein – The Princely Collections e Palazzo Spinola, Genoa 2016, pp. 57-71
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2017G. Zanelli, 'Cavarozzi, Van Dyck, Giordano e gli altri. La dispersione della collezione di Constantino Balbi junior', in G. Zanelli, Bartolomeo Cavarozzi a Genova, Genoa 2017, pp. 79-109
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2018A. Orlando, 'Jan Roos e Van Dyck. Tracce di un connubio', in A. Orlando (ed.), Van Dyck e i suoi amici: Fiamminghi a Genova 1600-1640, Genoa 2018, pp. 85-127
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2021C. White, Anthony van Dyck & the Art of Portraiture, London 2021
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
Images
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