| TITLE
| Cavalier at the Time of Charles I |
| CREATOR | Circle of Pieter Nason, 1612-1688 |
| DATE | before 1690 |
| DIMENSIONS | 39 x 21.5 in. |
| ORIGINAL FORMAT | Painting |
| MEDIUM | Oil on canvas |
| DONOR | Gift of Ethelbert R. Billings |
| DATE OF ACCESSION | 1863 |
| LOCATION | Providence Athenæum: Bound |
Cavalier at the Time of Charles I is attributed to the circle of Pieter Nason [1612-1688], a portrait and still life painter from The Hague. Nason trained under Jan van Ravesteyn, a portrait painter to the Dutch court, and was familiar with the work of English court painter Anthony van Dyck. The painting bears many of the hallmarks of Van Dyck’s work, and was originally attributed to him when donated.
While the identity of the sitter is unknown, he must have been a prominent figure to have commissioned such a portrait. The work’s title alludes to the English Civil War, during which the Royalists opposed the Parliamentarians. Both sides used deprecating nicknames for their opponents; the Royalists were known as “Cavaliers,” and Parliamentarians called “Roundheads”.
The work was donated to the Athenæum in 1863 by Ethelbert R. Billings, from the estate of his brother Alpheus Billings. Alpheus Billings and his business partner Mr. Cadman lived in London and were celebrated for their notable art collection. Additional gifts from the bequest included a marble bust of William Shakespeare and the painting The Girl Reading, originally attributed to Sir Joshua Reynolds.