(Leiden 1633 – Greenwich 1707)
Portrait of the yacht of John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen, 1670/1
Black chalck on paper, grey wash 295 x 404 mm
Provenance: France, Collection Auguste Normand, Le Havre; Netherlands, Amsterdam, with Douwes Fine Art, Amsterdam 1970; United Kingdom, with Leonard Koetser, London 1971; Netherlands, private collection
This drawing of this richly decorated yacht is masterfully rendered and can be dated around 1660.
Literature: Bert Thissen, Der Hof des Fürsten Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen in den Jahren 1669-1679, in: Gerhard Brunn ed., Feld war die Welt. Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen (1604-1679), Munster 2008, p. 247ff; E. van den Boogaart, Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen, 1604-1679. A humanist prince in Europe and Brazil, Den Haag 1979; Guido de Werd, Soweit der Erdkreiss reicht. Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen, Kleve 1979; M.S. Robinson, Van de Velde drawings. A catalogue of drawings in the National Maritime Museum made by the Elder and the Younger Willem van de Velde, 2 Vols., Cambridge 1974; G.C.E. Crone, De jachten der Oranjes. Historisch en scheepstechnisch overzicht van de jachten der stadhouders en vorsten van het huis van Oranje- Nassau vanaf het einde der 16de eeuw, Amsterdam 1937; C.G. ’t Hooft, Een geschenk van Amsterdam aan Karel II van Engeland in 1660, in: Jaarboek Amstelodamum 1921, Amsterdam 1921; Ludwig Driesen, Leben des Fürsten Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen, Berlin 1849; Nicolaes Witsen, Aeloude en hedendaegsche scheeps- bouw en bestier, Amsterdam 1671; Abraham de Wicquefort, Verhael in forma van Journael van de reijs ende ’t vertoeven van Carel II, The Hague 1660.
Extensive information available
Since his election as a master in the Order of Saint John, 15 June 1652, John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen has used the order’s insignia in the decoration of his palaces – among which the The Hague Mauritshuis – his gardens and his staff. In our drawing the Maltese Cross is thrice visible: on the lee-board, on the banner and under the coat of arms on the upper stern. The Ottonic- Nassauic coat of arms is furthermore extended with the blue band of the Order of the Elephant, confered upon the stadholder by the Danish King Charles XI. The five-leaved crown is part of the heraldry since 1664, when the counts of Nassau-Siegen were allowed to carry the title of prince.
The function of yachts of this type is clearly stated by Abraham de Wicquefort (1660): ‘big yachts, that serve persons of quality on the rivers, as well as in the land, to pass from one province to another, in case of necessity or for pleasure.’ The purchase value of circa 7000 guilders equalled the prince’s annual income.
While Van de Velde the Younger chose to draw the vessel’s stern, his father depicted the front of the ship (Museum Boijmans van Beuningen Rotterdam, inv. no. MB1866 T425). A copy after The Younger’s drawing by Jacobus Storck survives (Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam, inv. no. S.1859). John Maurice’s transport vessel would later appear in paintings by Ludolf Backhuysen, Jacobus Storck and Adam Silo.
Cf, Crone, G.C.E. De jachten der Oranjes. Historisch en scheepstechnisch overzicht van de jachten der stadhouders en vorsten van het huis van Oranje-Nassau vanaf het einde der 16de eeuw. Amsterdam: N.V. Swets, Zeitlinger boekhandel en uitgevers, 1937.; Robinson, M.S. Van de Velde drawings. A Catalogue of Drawings in the National Maritime Museum made by the Elder and the Younger Willem van de Velde, 2 vols., Cambridge 1958/ 1974. Vol. 1, p. 261, plate 11, nr. 32 A.
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