Frederik Hendrik (1584-1647), prins van Oranje c. 1647 - 1650

This is a portrait miniature of Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange, made in the Netherlands, probably around the 1640s, by Henri Toutin, an artist who specialized in this intimate format. The miniature was a luxury item, intended for private appreciation. It speaks to the wealth and power of the House of Orange, which played a central role in the political and military life of the Dutch Republic. Frederik Hendrik was Stadtholder, a position that gave him significant influence over the government and the army. He was also a major patron of the arts, and his court at The Hague was a center of cultural life. Toutin's portrait presents Frederik Hendrik as a refined and powerful figure. The lace collar, the blue sash, and the carefully groomed mustache and beard all convey an image of aristocratic authority. The survival of objects like this miniature depends on the work of institutions, from the patronage system that enabled its production, to the museums and collections that preserve it, and the art historians who study it.