Emmanuel de Critz (25 September 1608 – 2 November 1665) was an English painter. He was called the "best

portraitist A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this re ...

in London" by Robert Walker. He was born and baptized in London on 25 September 1608, as the younger son of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, a painter of Flemish origin active at the English royal court during the reigns of

James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

and

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after hi ...

, who held the post of

Serjeant Painter The Serjeant Painter was an honourable and lucrative position as court painter with the English monarch. It carried with it the prerogative of painting and gilding all of the King's residences, coaches, banners, etc. and it grossed over £1,000 ...

to the king. He painted scenes for

masques The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masq ...

, at the time very popular at court. In 1657 he made a portrait of Sergeant Sir John Maynard. He is considered the author of the central ceiling panels with the Perseus narratives in Wilton House. In 1650 he purchased a considerable number of artworks after the dispersal of the collection of Charles I. He kept his acquisitions in his house in Austin Friars. However, some items acquired by Critz (perhaps including Bernini's '' Bust of King Charles I'') where apparently blocked by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

, with de Critz petitioning the council in 1660. At the Restoration he then petitioned the king for reimbursement. In the latter part of his life he lived in the parish of St. Margaret's, Westminster. He was buried there on 2 November 1665. A son or nephew of his was also a painter.

Gallery

File:John Tradescant the Younger and Hester, his second Wife E. de Critz.jpg, ''John Tradescant the Younger and Hester'', attributed to Emmanuel de Critz File:Emanuel de Critz (Attr.) - Portrait of a lady and a gentleman.jpg, ''Portrait of a lady and a gentleman'', attributed to Emmanuel de Critz

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Critz, Emmanuel de 1608 births 1665 deaths 17th-century English painters Court painters English male painters English people of Flemish descent