Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (1584-1647) Youngest Son of William the Silent

Location

Country: Netherlands
City: The Hague
Place: British Embassy

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, here wears dress armour with copper inlay decoration. Fringed ochre-coloured fabric is draped over one shoulder and he has a deep lace ruff around his neck.

Michiel Janszoon van Mierevelt first painted Prince Frederick Henry in about 1610. This work may be based on a much later depiction of Frederick by the artist, painted in 1632. It is probably a work from Miereveldt's studio and is one of two portraits of Frederick Henry in the Government Art Collection. The portrait was presented to the British Museum, London, London, by politician Lord Frederick Campbell in 1782. It was transferred to the Ministry of Works (then responsible for the Government Collection) for a nominal sum in 1946. Other portraits of Frederick Henry by Mierevelt are in the collections of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp; the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis; Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague; and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Michiel Janszoon van Mierevelt was born in Delft; the son of a goldsmith. He trained under Anthonie Blocklandt in Utrecht and later under ‘Augustyn’ in Delft. From 1604 he lived in The Hague, painting portraits for the stadholder court of the princes of Orange-Nassau and, from 1625, becoming a member of the Guild of St Luke. That year Charles I and Prince Henry encouraged him to move to London but he refused because of an outbreak of plague. His pupils included his sons, Pieter and Jan; Paulus Moreelse, Jacobus Delff Willem and others. He also collaborated with Jan Martsen, who painted landscapes backgrounds for some of his portraits. Distinguishing Mierevelt’s hand is complicated by his habit of signing copies by his studio assistants.

People

Prince of Orange Frederick Henry (1584 - 1647)

Places

Subjects

royal portrait, beard, moustache, Dutch, man, 16th century costume, sash, ruff, Prince

Materials & Techniques

canvas, oil, oil painting

Artist

Michiel Jansz. van Miereveld (1567 - 1641)

Title

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (1584-1647) Youngest Son of William the Silent

Date

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

height: 59.00 cm, width: 49.00 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from the British Museum, June 1946.

Provenance

Collection of politician Lord Frederick Campbell (1729-1816); by whom presented to the British Museum in 1782; from whom purchased by the Ministry of Works in 1946

GAC number

14