Antoon van Dyck was born in Antwerp, Belgium back in 1599 to Frans and Maria. By the time he was 15 he was already an accomplished painter. At 16 years old, he opened his own workshop selling his paintings. In 1618, he was admitted to the Guild of Saint Luke as a free master. Within a few short years he was the dominant master of Antwerp and the whole of Northern Europe.
He travelled throughout Europe to Italy, London, Genoa and Palermo in Sicily. Somewhere along the line he changed his name to Anthony. His works were so popular that he was knighted. So, I’m writing about Sir Anthony van Dyck today. I seriously doubt that you can find one of his originals but if you do, you, your kids and their kids will be well off. However, there is one other thing he is still noted for. For you see he had a beard, most of the male subjects he painted had the same style. Of course, that style is today known as the Van Dyke beard, it is noted for the sharply pointed and trimmed goatees.
Until tomorrow give someone the free gift of a smile
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