[3] Van Dyck's dedication to capturing the likeness of his models was the basis for his strong influence over the art of portraiture long after his death in 1641.
[2] King Charles I was notoriously famous for his patronage of the arts, and during the early 1600s, extended his collection of artwork extensively with the addition of works once owned by the Duke of Mantua.
[4] During the height of his rule, Charles had amassed a great collection of works totalling an estimated 1,750 paintings, some of which were created by Van Dyck.
[4] Shortly after his coronation in 1626, the King sought to create a fleet of Baroque artists, including Peter Paul Rubens and Orazio Gentileschi, to work and live in England.
[8] Van Dyck became a sought after artist soon after submitting a self-portrait to court officials and creating a religious work for Queen Henrietta Maria of France.
[2][3] Many of these emblem books were published and made available in Van Dyck's home city, Antwerp,[2] but the characteristic of the plant is known to every gardener, and no literary source is necessary.
[17] Art historians agree that the golden chain van Dyck has draped across his right shoulder was gifted to him by his patron Charles I and that the work was created while he was a court painter.
Anthony van Dyck's workshop created a work likely between 1635 and 1650 that depicted his dear friend Sir Kenelm Digby, an English astrologer, natural philosopher, and royal courtier.
It would be more accurate for the sunflower to symbolise devotion and allegiance here, for Digby served the Crown as an unofficial naval consultant in the mid-1620s, as well as fought in a duel in 1641 in defence of the King and his namesake.
[2][3] Later, in the early 1640s, the portrait would be used during the English Civil War as a loosely defined propaganda piece, persuading citizens to join arms for a royalist allegiance, and successfully did so in uniting the war-torn kingdom.
[3] This is evidence to prove that if the sunflower were to be a symbol only of Van Dyck's fidelity to his patron, the portrait would not have favoured as well with a wide audience looking for inspiration and relatable meaning in an artwork.
Van Dyck had only been in England for a little over a year before a warrant was issued from court officials for the medal of 'One Hundred and Ten Pounds value' be given to him.
[2] Not only was the token of appreciation a nod to the work Van Dyck had accomplished during his first year as court painter, but also a royal decree of his status in England.
[18] The look was thought to have a regal and stately appearance, and King Charles I himself often liked to be depicted wearing the facial hair style in his portraits.
[20] In Self-Portrait with a Sunflower, van Dyck is sporting a classic "Vandyke"; his chin goatee consists of a tapered end, and his moustache tips are curled and pointed upward.