His erect attitude, his dignified bearing, his perfect self-possession and ease, show that he has been trained in a high school of manners.
But there is also something in the delicate oval of the face, the well-cut nose and mouth, and the graceful growth of the hair, that speak of refined breeding.

Distinction is the key-note of the picture.
[Illustration: WILLIAM II.

OF ORANGE From the picture by Van Dyck, in the Hermitage Gallery, Leningrad] This little Prince had in his veins the blood of William the Silent, and became the father of our William III.

Poor human nature is too easily envious, and some deny the reality, in fact, of the distinction, the grace, of Van Dyck's portrayed men and women.

Nevertheless, Van Dyck's vision, guiding his brush, was as rare an endowment as envy is a common one, and has higher authority to show us what to look for, to see, and to enjoy.
Van Dyck was the first painter who taught people how they ought to look, to befit an admirer's view of their aristocratic rank.