Description:
Man in formal costume, holding a sword and standing on T-shaped platform with helmet at feet; buildings in background
Label Text:
Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau, was a strong charismatic leader and a figure to be reckoned with. Known as Mooie Heintje (handsome Harry), Hendrik lost his father, Willem the First (the silent), at an early age, when Willem was assassinated by the Spanish. Hendrik was trained in arms by his predecessor and older half brother, Maurits of Naussau, and eventually became Stadholder or Governor of the Northern Provinces.
Frederik Hendrik disliked posing for paintings. As a result many likenesses of him were copied from a 1610 portrait by Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt, one of the few paintings from an actual sitting. Nonetheless, Frederik Hendrik was well aware of the importance of visual propaganda as evidenced by the many portraits depicting him as a heroic military commander and head of a powerful court.
Allegorical compositions, such as this engraving from 1628, often showed the figure in battle stance and ornate body armor. They were clearly meant to impress and inform the masses. Here the prince holds seven arrows, the symbol of power and of the seven provinces of the Netherlands. He is placed high on a pedestal. To emphasize his noble lineage, he also holds a rope affixed with seven coats of arms. The background of the print features the castle Binnenhof in The Hague where Hendrik resided (and which is presently the seat of the Dutch government). During his reign Frederik Hendrik transformed the Dutch court into a lavish and highly cultured society that offered opportunities for Dutch and foreign artists alike.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1973.28 |
