An early 19th-century portrait of the English composer and musician, Nicholas Lanier (1588-1666), after a work by Sir Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641).

Nicolas Lanier was the court musician and ‘Master of the King’s Music’ for Charles I and Charles II. Along with his talents as a multi-instrumentalist, he was also a singer, lutenist and scenographer.

Van Dyck’s original portrait depicts Lanier standing nonchalantly with his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He’s clad in silks with a black cloak contrasting against an impressive red and white shirt. Van Dyck painted him in around 1632 and the original now hangs at the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna.

This particular portrait is a bust-length study and certainly captures the relaxed expression of the composer.