Anthony van Dyck

Step aside, influencers, and meet the 17th century’s original master of the suave portrait: Anthony van Dyck. This Flemish artist, dubbed the "Mozart of painting," was a prodigy who, after training with the great Peter Paul Rubens, became the chief painter to King Charles I of England. He was so in-demand that the King had a special causeway built for easier access to his studio. Van Dyck gave the English aristocracy a glamorous makeover, revolutionizing portraiture with a more relaxed and elegant style. Rumor has it his life was as colorful as his canvases. Whispers suggest a hasty departure from Antwerp was due to an amorous entanglement, and that he only acknowledged an illegitimate daughter on his deathbed. It's even said his jealous mistress, Margaret Lemon, tried to bite off his thumb to end his career. While these tales may be apocryphal, they paint a picture of a man who lived as artfully as he painted.