Portrait of Prince Maurits of Orange n.d.

Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt made this portrait of Prince Maurits of Orange with pen and brown ink. Mierevelt was one of the most important and prolific portraitists of the Dutch Golden Age, which coincided with the Eighty Years' War, a conflict that defined the Dutch Republic. The image constructs Maurits as a powerful military leader. The armor he sports serves less as protection in battle than as a symbol of authority, while the baton in his hand is an emblem of command. Maurits’s leadership was crucial in the Netherlands' fight for independence from Spanish rule. His family, the House of Orange-Nassau, became synonymous with the Dutch struggle for freedom and later with the establishment of the Dutch monarchy. We see here how art served as a tool for constructing and reinforcing the image of leadership during times of conflict. Historical research can reveal the complex interplay between art, politics, and society in the Dutch Golden Age.