(Antwerp 1599–1641 London), workshop of; Bust of the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria, oval 67.5 x 56 cm, framed

The Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria (Madrid 1609 - 1641 Brussels) was born in 1609, the third son of King Philip III of Spain. In 1619, he was entrusted with the administration of the archbishopric of Toledo and soon afterwards was appointed cardinal. In 1633, he and his troops came to the aid of the Holy Roman Emperor in Germany. In September 1634, the Cardinal-Infante joined forces with the army of King Ferdinand IV of Hungary and participated in the Battle of Nördlingen. In April 1635, he moved on to the Low Countries. He succeeded in halting the advance of the almighty Franco-Dutch army and in June 1636 crossed the French border, forcing the surrender of La Capelle and proceeding as far as Corbie. However, he was prompted to retreat, having lost several bastions. Certificate: Ludwig Burchard, 6 December 1935: „… an autograph and excellently preserved work by Anthony van Dyck characterized by a facile and fluid manner of painting ... [and showing the Cardinal-Infante] soon after he had arrived in the Spanish Netherlands as a governor-general… A copper engraving by Crispin van Quaborn corresponds almost exactly with our painting.“ (photocopy) Univ. Prof. Dr. Horst Vey, 28 January 2010. Prof. Vey relates the present painting to the portrait of Ferdinand done from life in Antwerp (reproduced in S. J. Barnes, N. D. Poorter, O. Millar, Horst Vey, Van Dyck, 2004, no. II. 83). Just a few days before his death, Prof. Vey wrote about the present picture: „… your painting is a good example after the invention of Van Dyck.“