Artwork
Self-Portrait as Icarus with Daedalus
Self-Portrait as Icarus with Daedalus is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Anthony van Dyck. It dates from 1618 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Overview
Anthony van Dyck painted *Self‑Portrait as Icarus with Daedalus* in 1618, using oil on canvas. The work shows the young artist positioned as the mythic Icarus, while an older, bearded figure representing Daedalus stands behind him. It is part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
In the composition, the youthful figure holds a large feathered wing and gazes calmly, embodying Icarus’s daring ambition. The older man, clasping the younger’s wrist, watches with a worried expression, echoing Daedalus’s cautionary role in the Greek myth. The juxtaposition suggests a reflection on artistic aspiration and the perils of overreaching.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil, the painting features a dark, atmospheric background that recedes through a subtle tonal gradient, giving depth to the scene. Van Dyck renders the flesh tones of the shirtless Icarus with delicate chiaroscuro, while the older figure’s drapery is depicted in muted, dark fabrics, highlighting the contrast between the two characters.
History & Provenance
Created while van Dyck was still an apprentice in Antwerp, the work dates from his period in Peter Paul Rubens’s workshop, where he absorbed the master’s dynamic composition and colour. The painting later entered the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it remains on display.
Context
The early 1610s marked van Dyck’s formative years before his subsequent travels to Italy and Spain and his eventual appointment as court painter in England. This self‑portrait reflects his engagement with classical mythology, a common intellectual motif among Flemish artists seeking to align themselves with the ideals of antiquity.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Sir Anthony van Dyck (; Dutch: Antoon van Dijck ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque artist, who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy.
