Ring met het portret van Frederica Wilhelmina Louise van Oranje-Nassau c. 1790

This is a ring featuring a portrait of Frederica Wilhelmina Louise of Orange-Nassau, crafted by Johann Heinrich Schepp. Reflecting the rigid social hierarchies of the 18th century, this ring embodies the intersection of gender, power, and representation. Frederica Wilhelmina, a woman of noble birth, is depicted in profile, her image carved into the stone with delicate precision, framed by a halo of diamonds. The piece invites questions about the role of women in positions of power, especially within the confines of monarchy and marriage. As a princess consort of Orange-Nassau, Frederica Wilhelmina’s identity was both elevated and constrained by her royal status. This portrait ring, with its regal imagery, serves as a potent symbol of her identity, but also of the expectations placed upon her as a woman of the aristocracy. The ring is a reminder of the personal and emotional dimensions of historical figures whose lives were often dictated by the demands of state and dynastic succession.