Willem II (1626-50), prins van Oranje c. 1645 - 1650

This miniature of Willem II, Prince of Orange, was crafted by an anonymous artist. Notice the blue sash he wears, a symbol of nobility and power that echoes throughout royal portraiture. Blue, historically associated with the Virgin Mary, came to represent purity, faith and prestige. Think of the sapphire jewels adorning monarchs, or the 'blue blood' said to flow in aristocratic veins. This emblem of authority appears throughout history. From ancient Egyptian lapis lazuli jewelry to Renaissance paintings of royal figures draped in blue velvet, the color’s symbolic power endures. The unconscious association of blue with divinity and authority taps into a collective memory. Consider how such symbols resonate, transforming across eras yet retaining echoes of their original power, resurfacing in new forms, forever entwined with our understanding of authority.