The portrait of Thomas Howard, the 14th Earl of Arundel, created by Dutch artist Daniel Mytens in London in 1618, beautifully illustrates Arundel’s refined taste as a distinguished art collector. Mytens also painted a pendant portrait of his wife, depicting her alongside their grand collection of paintings. Arundel’s impressive collection of Roman and Ancient Greek sculptures and inscriptions, the first of its kind in England, was further enriched by his oversight of excavations in Rome and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Tragically, much of Arundel’s collection suffered considerable damage during the Civil War, with nearly half of the marbles destroyed. The surviving pieces were later bequeathed to Oxford University and are now displayed in the Ashmolean Museum.
Arundel profoundly impacted the careers of several foreign artists, including Mytens, who he helped establish as the principal portraitist at the royal court. His support was instrumental in introducing Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck to England, marking a stylistic evolution in English portraiture. Van Dyck, in particular, became a leading court painter, with Arundel’s early patronage pivotal in shaping his career in England.
