The king, dressed in full armour, rides a powerful dun-coloured stallion foaming at the bit. Around his neck he wears the Order of the Garter. Charles, who prided himself on his horsemanship, is relaxed, confident, and the picture of regal elegance. He was a slender man and, though he towers above us in the portrait, in reality he was only 5ft 4" (1.6 metres).
This portrait was painted in around 1638, during the ten year period in which Charles I ruled England and Scotland, and was designed to illustrate his divine right to rule. Britain was then at peace with her old enemies France and Spain, but Charles chose to have himself shown as a warrior king, emphasising his power and status. Just four years later, the Civil War broke out and in 1649, Charles was beheaded - the first British monarch to be executed by his own people.
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