Vignet met een portret van Willem I Frederik, koning der Nederlanden, in een cirkel met negen wapens 1836 - 1912

This is Isaac Weissenbruch's undated vignette, created using etching and depicting Willem I Frederik, King of the Netherlands. Around the King’s portrait are nine coats of arms, each paired with dates, together forming a cartouche-like border. Willem Frederik's rule followed a tumultuous period in Dutch history, marked by French occupation and the Napoleonic Wars, a period which left an indelible mark on the Dutch psyche. The work invites us to reflect on the construction of national identity and power through portraiture, a traditional emblem of authority, and heraldry, a visual language of lineage and status. The vignette underscores the emotional investment in the monarchy as a symbol of stability and unity in a nation emerging from conflict. This piece is a potent reminder of how symbols are employed to solidify a sense of shared identity.