Queen Henrietta Maria with Sir Jeffrey Hudson 1633

Anthony van Dyck made this painting of Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I, sometime in the 17th century, using oil paints and canvas. The key to understanding the work is to consider the textiles depicted. The Queen’s lustrous blue gown, with its silken sheen, speaks volumes. Silk production was a global enterprise even then, reliant on complex trade routes and production techniques. Just imagine the labor required to create the lace trim, thread by painstaking thread. And look at the heavy gold curtain. These materials declare the wealth and power of the royal family. Van Dyck’s exquisite rendering captures the tactile qualities of these precious fabrics, while subtly reminding us of the vast networks of labor and consumption that underpinned the monarchy. It really makes you consider who was involved in producing such items, and under what conditions. By focusing on materials, making, and context, we start to appreciate the broader social and economic forces at play. It challenges the idea that paintings are somehow separate from the world of craft and production.