Edward Alleyn Peter Paul A burly shepherd restrains the

A burly shepherd restrains the goat Amaltheia by its horns

In the posture and the patterns of bedding Van Dyck offers two consoling visual suggestions: that death is but sleep and that Venetia (or her soul) is floating on clouds surrounded by the blue skies of Heaven

A twentieth-century label verso reads: 'Portrait of Miss Planner By John Smart Senr

An early work

it has been thought

Edward Alleyn Peter Paul A burly shepherd restrains theUnrecorded in his diary, this is the only known image of Edward Alleyn (1566 1626), the identification being confirmed by provenance and by the signet ring with the sitter's arms. The inscribed date may refer to the date of his death and not neccessarily the picture, although it may well date from 1620 30.