Information from the Palace’s website, 31 May 2016
Dozens of scions of the House of Orange-Nassau look down from the walls of Amsterdam’s Royal Palace. The earliest is a portrait of Anna van Egmond, first wife of William of Orange (also known as William the Silent), and dates from c. 1550. The latest addition celebrates the investiture of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima in 2013.
These portraits from the Royal Collections present members of the Orange dynasty down the centuries. From equestrian portraits and official state portraits to family and children’s portraits. Not spontaneous snapshots, but carefully considered depictions full of symbolism. They belong to the long tradition of royal portraiture.
The exhibition and accompanying catalogue highlight the various portrait genres displayed at Amsterdam’s Royal Palace and examine the function and the related representative and symbolic qualities of royal portraits.