''Triumph of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange'' is a painting by the Flemish painter

Jacob Jordaens Jacob (Jacques) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and tapestry designer known for his history paintings, genre scenes and portraits. After Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, he was the leading Fle ...

, signed and dated at the bottom left "J JOR fec / 1652". It is located in the Oranjezaal in the

Huis ten Bosch Huis ten Bosch ( nl, Paleis Huis ten Bosch, ; English: "House in the Woods") is a royal palace in The Hague, Netherlands. It is one of three official residences of the Dutch monarch; the two others being the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague and ...

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

.Jacob Jordaens (I), ''The Triumph of Frederik Hendrik
at the Royal Collections of The Netherlands

History

The

, now a Dutch royal residence, was built on a site near

given to

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange Frederick Henry ( nl, Frederik Hendrik; 29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereign prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 1625 until his death in 1647. In the last ...

in 1645 by the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

.Max Rooses, ''Jordaens: sa vie et ses oeuvres'', Amsterdam, 1906, pp. 160-174. In 1647, before it was completed, Frederick Henry died and his devoted widow

Amalia of Solms-Braunfels Amalia may refer to: People *Amalia (given name), feminine given name (includes a list of people so named) *Princess Amalia (disambiguation), several princesses with this name Films and television series * ''Amalia'' (1914 film), the first ...

designed to make substantial changes to the design, turning it into a memorial to her late husband. Barbara Gaehtgens and Aude Virey-Wallon, ''L'Artémise de Gérard van Honthorst ou les deux corps de la reine'', in ''Revue de l'Art'', 1995, n. 109, pp. 13-25. The Huis ten Bosch's main hall, the '' Oranjezaal'', was decorated with a vast cycle of paintings celebrating the deeds and virtues of Frederick Henry. The idea for creating such a room dedicated to praising a national leader was taken from

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

' Marie de Medici cycle in Paris and the allegorical ceiling paintings of

James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the Union of the Crowns, union of the Scottish and Eng ...

in the

Banqueting House In English architecture, mainly from the Tudor period onwards, a banqueting house is a separate pavilion-like building reached through the gardens from the main residence, whose use is purely for entertaining, especially eating. Or it may be buil ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Various painters, from both the Dutch Republic and the

Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the Ha ...

. were commissioned to create paintings for the cycle. ''Triumph'' was the culmination of the cycle. Jordaens had already been patronised by Princess Amalia of Solms-Braunfels and created the ''Allegory of Time'' for the same room in 1650. After the death of both Rubens and

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh c ...

, Jordaens was now the leading painter of the Spanish Netherlands. Amalia took on her husband's former secretary

Constantijn Huygens Sir Constantijn Huygens, Lord of Zuilichem ( , , ; 4 September 159628 March 1687), was a Dutch Golden Age poet and composer. He was also secretary to two Princes of Orange: Frederick Henry and William II, and the father of the scientist C ...

and the architect

Jacob van Campen Jacob van Campen (2 February 1596 - 13 September 1657) was a Dutch artist and architect of the Dutch Golden Age, Golden Age. Life He was born into a wealthy family at Haarlem, and spent his youth in his home town. Being of noble birth and wit ...

to supervise the painting of the Oranjezaal cycle. Letters survive from Jordaens to Huygens, showing that Van Campen sent a plan of the room to the painter and that he proposed a number of modifications to his original idea. Three oil sketches for the ceiling by Jordaens also survive, probably produced for Amalia's and Van Campen's approval.Lidwien Speleers e Margriet van Eikema Hommes, ''Jordaens and the Oranjezaal in Huis ten Bosch Palace, the paintings and the letters'', in Birgit Ulrike Münch and Zita Ágota Pataki (ed.), ''Jordaens: Genius of Grand Scale'', Stoccarda, 2012, pp. 131-140. None of the sketches totally matches the final painting, probably showing that not all of the painter's proposals were approved. Another letter survives from Jordaens to Amalia, explaining the allegorical meanings of the finished work.

Preparatory sketches

File:Jordaens Triumph of Frederick of Orange.jpg, Sketch, c.1651,

National Museum of Warsaw The National Museum in Warsaw ( pl, Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie), popularly abbreviated as MNW, is a national museum in Warsaw, one of the largest museums in Poland and the largest in the capital. It comprises a rich collection of ancient art (Eg ...

File:Trionfo di Federico Enrico d'Orange - Jordaens (bozzetto, Bruxelles).jpg, Sketch, c.1651,

Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, nl, Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België) are a group of art museums in Brussels, Belgium. They include six museums: the Oldmasters Muse ...

, Brussels File:Jacob Jordaens - Triumph of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange.jpg, Sketch, c.1651, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp

Description and style

Given the large number of similarities between the two works' iconography, Jordaens' probable model was a print by

Salomon Savery Salomon Savery (1594–1683) was an engraver from the Northern Netherlands. Biography Savery was born in Amsterdam. According to the RKD he was the son of Jacob Savery, brother to Pieter, Hans II and Jacob II, and nephew of Hans I and Roe ...

after a drawing by

David Vinckboons David Vinckboons (baptized 13 August 1576 – c.1632 ) was a Dutch Golden Age painter born in Mechelen, Southern Netherlands. Vinckboons, whose name is often spelled as Vingboons, Vinghboons, Vinckebonis or Vinckboom, had at least ten chil ...

. This drawing was an allegory of Frederick Henry's triumphal entry into the Hague after the victories of

Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighove ...

and

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...

, his two great successes in the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

. In Jordaens' work, Frederick Henry is shown wearing armour and a deep red cloak (reminiscent of ancient Roman triumphal dress) seated on a throne in a triumphal chariot. A golden sculpture of Victory behind him holds two crowns, placing the one in her right hand on Frederick Henry's head and holding the other towards Frederick Henry's son

William II of Orange William II (27 May 1626 – 6 November 1650) was sovereign Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel and Groningen in the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 14 March 1647 until his death three year ...

, shown as a young horseman in the bottom right. The nude

Hymen The hymen is a thin piece of mucosal tissue that surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening. It forms part of the vulva, or external genitalia, and is similar in structure to the vagina. In children, a common appearance of the h ...

) behind William crowns him with a golden garland surmounted by a crown - within that wreath are two joined hands, symbolising William's marriage to

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

's daughter

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

. Frederick Henry's chariot is drawn by four white horses with golden harness. A male figure wearing only a pseudo-Turkish dress rides one of them, holding a

cornucopia In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (), from Latin ''cornu'' (horn) and ''copia'' (abundance), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers ...

of fruits and ears of grain, a symbol of abundance. Beside the horses

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...

(left) and

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

(right, in a winged hat and sandals) act as grooms and symbolise Frederick Henry's virtues of wisdom, martial virtue and cunning. Under their hooves the horses trample two terrible serpents (Discord) and a figure biting a heart (Envy). Two lions in front of the horses symbolise bravery and courage, whilst four of the

Muses In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the p ...

to the far left symbolise the four provinces of the Dutch Republic. In the background is a triumphal arch flanked by two golden statues on pedestals, representing Frederick Henry's father

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

and his half-brother

Maurice of Nassau Maurice of Orange ( nl, Maurits van Oranje; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was '' stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death in 1625. Before he became Prince ...

(right), who both preceded him as

Stadtholder In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and H ...

. People gather around the statues to watch the triumphal procession. Above the horses a winged figure with a trumpet (Fame) beats back a skeleton, whilst higher still a woman in a white robe holds palm branches in both hands. She is surrounded by putti unrolling a long scroll inscribed ''ULTIMUS ANTE OMNES DE PARTA PACE TRIUMPHUS'' (Fairest above all triumphs is that through which peace is gained), shown by a letter in the

National Library of the Netherlands The Royal Library of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninklijke Bibliotheek or KB; ''Royal Library'') is the national library of the Netherlands, based in The Hague, founded in 1798. The KB collects everything that is published in and concerning the Ne ...

to have been invented by Huygens. Cfr. Inge Broekman, ''Constantijn Huygens, de kunst en het hof'', PhD thesis, University of Amsterdam, 2017, p. 149. This refers to the

Peace of Munster Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

, the section of the

Treaty of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peac ...

of 1648 which guaranteed the Dutch Republic's independence and abandoned all Spanish claims to its lands. Frederick died before the Treaty but his military victories had decisively paved the way for it. Several other putti at the very top of the painting hold a long festoon full of fruit, whilst others tip another cornucopia of coins and jewelry over Frederick Henry, symbolising riches and prosperity.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 17th-century allegorical paintings Allegorical paintings by Flemish artists 1652 paintings Paintings by Jacob Jordaens Paintings in The Hague