Charles I was born in 1600, crowned King of England in 1625, and beheaded outside the Banqueting Hall in Whitehall in 1649. He was an important patron of the arts and a notable collector.
Van Dyck, whose magnificent 'Equestrian Portrait of Charles I' is in the Collection, was his court painter. Works from the King's collection now in the National Gallery include Rubens's 'Peace and War' and Correggio's 'School of Love'.
