Pieter de Molijn, Dutch, 1595-1661
Title: Prince Maurits and Prince Frederik Hendrik Going to the Chase
Date: 1625
Medium: Oil on wood panel
Dimensions:
35.1 x 55.9 x 0.5 cm
Signed: lower right: P. de Molÿn fecit 1625 [P de in monogram]
Credit Line: Purchased, 1864
Object Number: NGI.8
ProvenancePurchased, Paris, 1864
Label TextActive in Haarlem in the first decades of the seventeenth century, De Molijn played a significant transitional role in the early history of Dutch landscapes. His works include elements of both the fictional landscapes of the sixteenth century as well as the more naturalistic outdoor scenes painted by later artists. The present work, a rare example of a Dutch landscape featuring portraits of royalty, depicts two princely half-brothers, Maurits and Frederik Hendrik, Princes of Orange, hunting in the surroundings of The Hague. The brothers served as stadholders (heads of state) to the United Provinces from 1585 to 1647.