Panel

Master from the Netherlands 1615-1625

Portrait of Prince Maurice of Nassau after an original of Miereveldt from – 1615. The right side was adjusted in 1913.

 

 

In 1913, a carpenter found this panel in a hidden cupboard in the chapel of Castle Bergh. He thought his find was a decent board, and indeed it is a beautiful portrait. It is a small copy of a large state portrait, painted around 1615 by Frans van Miereveldt. It was customary to have wellpainted pieces copied several times over.

It can clearly be seen that the portrait was painted on a panel: there is a crack in the wood, between two pieces of board, to the right of the prince.

Maurice of Nassau (1567-1625) was the son of William of Orange and his second wife Anne of Saxony. After his father’s death, he was elected stadtholder and captain-admiral-general of Holland and Zeeland. He was later also elected stadtholder of the other United Provinces, except for Friesland.  From 1587 Maurice was captain-admiral-general of the States Army, and was paid by the collectivity of the provinces, the States- General (the state council). By training, arming and a the introduction of a specialised Engineering Corps, he made this army into the most modern in Europe.

Under Spinola, the Spanish arm, also became more effective after 1600. Maurice lost some towns in the Southern and Eastern United Provinces. For financial reasons, both Spain and the Republic became increasingly interested in a cease-fire, which was finally agreed in 1609. A weakened Republic took up the war in 1621 due to Maurice’s domestic policies during the Twelve Years Truce. The States Army achieved virtually no military successes until Maurice’s death in 1625.

Cornelis Schuyt (1557-1616)

Bewaert Heer Hollandt

The Musick’s Monument Vocal Ensemble