Portret van Anna Stuart, koningin van Engeland 1680 - 1713

Pieter Schenk created this print of Anna Stuart, Queen of England, most likely in Amsterdam in the late 17th or early 18th century. As a print, it was designed for wide circulation, aimed at an emerging public interested in the British royal family. Anna is depicted as a figure of power and prestige. She is adorned with jewels and lace, and surrounded by symbols of wealth and status. In the background there is what looks like a royal garden. The inscription at the bottom emphasizes her royal status: “Her Royall Highness the Princess Ann of Denmark.” Yet, her relatively modest attire indicates a shift away from the opulent displays of the earlier Stuart monarchs. This carefully calibrated image subtly promotes a more accessible and bourgeois image of royalty. The print also reflects Amsterdam’s role as a major center for printmaking and the dissemination of news and images. To better understand this work, one might explore the history of printmaking in the Netherlands and its relationship to political power and public opinion.