Portrait of Charles Cavendish (1620-1643), officer in the Royalist army

Hello everyone! My name is Isabella, and I'm so excited to explore this amazing painting with you all today! nn We're going to look at a portrait. Does anyone know what a portrait is? That's right! It's like a picture that someone painted of a person. This portrait is of a young man named Charles Cavendish, and it was painted by an artist named William Dobson. nn Can you say "William Dobson?" That's a funny name, isn't it? He was a very talented artist! nn --- nn Now, look closely at Charles. What do you see? He's wearing fancy clothes, isn't he? That's because he was a nobleman, which means he came from a very important family. See his awesome lace collar? So fancy! nn He looks very serious in this painting, doesn't he? That's because people back then didn't smile very often in portraits. Try holding a smile for a really, really long time. It's hard work! nn --- nn The artist used a special technique called chiaroscuro. That's a big word, isn't it? It means he used light and shadow to make Charles look like he's popping right out of the painting! nn Look at how the light shines on Charles' face. Can you point to where the light is coming from? And look at how dark the background is. That makes Charles stand out even more! nn --- nn This painting is very old and very special. It tells us a story about what life was like a long time ago. Charles lived during a time when there was a big war in England. Sadly, he died very young while fighting in the war. nn Even though Charles lived a long time ago, we can still learn about him by looking at his portrait. It's like taking a peek into the past! nn --- nn I hope you enjoyed learning about this amazing painting with me today! Now, let's go see what other treasures we can find in the museum!