Oil on panel
54,5 x 45,5 cm.
Art-historical texts and documentation by Rudi Ekkart and Claire van den Donk
Maurits van Oranje-Nassau, born in Dillenburg on 13 November 1567 and died in The Hague on 23 April 1625, was the second son of Willem I of Oranje-Nassau (‘William the Silent’) and succeeded his father as stadholder of Holland in 1585. Thanks to his military successes, the Dutch War of Independence against Spain gained increasing momentum. After the death of his elder brother Philips Willem, he became prince of Orange. He remained unmarried.
Maurits van Oranje and Michiel van Mierevelt
In 1607, the Delft artist Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt was commissioned to paint an official portrait of stadholder Maurits (1567-1625) for the town hall of Delft, his place of residence. The work depicts Maurits life-sized from head to just above the knees. The original commission was soon followed by requests for replicas of this work, and Van Mierevelt even created another version on his own initiative, which he presented to the States General. Over the following decades, Van Mierevelt’s studio produced countless versions of this portrait in a wide variety of formats.1
They most typically portray the stadholder in armour, though a few show him in civilian attire. It is unlikely that Maurits posed for the artist again after 1607; instead, Van Mierevelt appears to have based later portraits on the original likeness. Nevertheless, the subtle aging of the sitter can be observed in later versions – most notably in his gradually receding hairline – suggesting that the artist may have updated the image based on personal observations during regular personal encounters with the stadholder. One visual indication that helps date these likenesses is the Order of the Garter insignia, which Maurits received in 1613. Its presence or absence distinguishes his portraits painted before or after that year.
The majority of the dozens of known later versions were not painted by Van Mierevelt himself but by employees in his workshop, although the master continually retained responsibility for the quality of the final product. In addition to these studio-produced works meeting Van Mierevelt’s demands, many lesser copies by other painters also exist.
In civilian dress
The portrait discussed here is an exceptional bust-length version, undoubtedly painted between 1607 and 1613. This dating is supported by the stadholder’s full head of hair and the absence of the Garter insignia. What sets this work apart from most other Van Mierevelt studio portraits of Maurits is that it does not show him in military attire, but rather in civilian dress – specifically in a gold embroidered brown doublet and a lace ruff collar.
A personal note from the gallery
‘We all know Maurits from the history books: the general, the stadholder. To stand this close to him feels almost like meeting him in person, as if he just stepped out of the past and is standing right here in front of me. What strikes me is that he’s not dressed in armour, but in beautifully embroidered garments. Only a few portraits of Maurits in civilian clothes have survived, which makes this painting particularly important. It’s a rare opportunity to own a direct connection to the founding years of the Dutch Republic.’
Jaco Pieper, owner Argento Gallery
Provenance
Private Collection Dr. Otto Fuhrmann; Collection Schloss Myllendonk, Korschenbroich, 1947; Sale Amsterdam (Christie’s), 6 May 1998, lot 46; Sale Amsterdam (Christie’s), 2 September 1998, lot 92; Sale Amsterdam (Christie’s), 9 May 2000, lot. 16; Sale Amsterdam (Christie’s), 5/6 September 2000, lot 606; Dutch Private Collection.
Notes
1. For an overview of the portraits of Maurits by Michiel van Mierevelt, see: Anita Jansen, Rudi Ekkart and Johanneke Verhave, exh. cat. De portretfabriek van Michiel van Mierevelt (1566-1641), Zwolle (WBOOKS) and Delft (Museum Het Prinsenhof), 2011-2012, especially pp. 109-126.
