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Delft has a rich artistic history, as evidenced by the collection of paintings, applied arts, and works on paper in the city’s Museum Prinsenhof. The museum occupies the historic Prinsenhof complex, the former monastery at which William the Silent (1533–1584) frequently took up residence. The collection was built up around the artworks once owned by the city of Delft, including a portrait series of members of the House of Orange, initiated by the Delft court painter Michiel van Mierevelt, and several painted cityscapes. It also includes works by leading masters from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, such as Pieter Aertsen, Maerten van Heemskerck, Willem van Aelst, Gerard Houckgeest, Anthonie Palamedesz., and Cornelis de Man. One of the museum’s ceilings was painted by Leonaert Bramer, several of whose drawings and paintings also feature in the collection. In addition, the museum owns a unique collection of works in the applied arts from Delft, especially in the fields of ceramics, precious metalwork, and textiles.
Esther van der Hoorn, Curator of Decorative Arts (March 2023)