Circle of Gerrit van Honthorst (Utrecht 1592-1656)

Gerrit van Honthorst studied under the portrait painter and engraver Abraham Bloemaert (1566-1651) in Utrecht before travelling to Italy in 1620 where he was very much influenced by the use of dramatic light in the work of Caravaggio and his followers. Honthorst went on to become one of the main exponents of the Caravaggesque school of artists in Utrcht. In 1628, he accepted an invitation to England by George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, and painted an allegorical portrait of King Charles I and Henrietta Maria as Apollo and Diana (Royal Collection, Hampton Court).