Portret van Koningin Wilhelmina in Friese klederdracht en prins Hendrik in marine-uniform 1901 - 1905

Idanus Hendrikus Slaterus made this portrait of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Hendrik, perhaps using a photograph as source material. I can imagine Slaterus, painting in a style that straddles the line between realism and idealism, trying to capture not just likeness but something of the royal aura. The monochrome palette lends a timeless quality, a sense of history being recorded. It’s interesting to think about how photographic techniques influenced painting at this time, and vice versa. The artist would have been working within certain constraints, a tight brief, a need to please the royal patrons. But within those constraints, there's still room for expression. I think this portrait sits nicely within the long history of royal portraiture. Each artist brings their own sensibility to the task, and each portrait tells us something about the relationship between power, representation, and the artist's hand.