Sir Anthony van Dyck (many variant spellings;22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leaing court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of King Charles I of England and Scotland and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next 150 years. He also painted biblical and mythological subjects, displayed outstanding facility as a draftsman, and was an important innovator in watercolour and etching.