Tegeltableau met portret Willem I met opschrift: WILLEM FREDERIK DEN EERSTEN KONING etc. 1815 - 1830

Curator: This tile tableau, made sometime between 1815 and 1830, commemorates Willem Frederik, or William I, the first King of the Netherlands. The portrait and inscription are really the central focus here. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is the colors, that pale purple is very unexpected! It's like he's been dipped in watercolor and framed with delicate leaf patterns. Curator: These sorts of commemorative pieces were fairly common, intended to affirm William’s relatively new rule after the Napoleonic era. Notice the anonymous creator captured him in military attire—emphasizing authority. The leaf patterns suggest a sense of natural harmony and, dare I say, royal flourishing. Editor: It does feel quite formal but I sense a kind of fragility to the way the portrait's rendered...The softness of the watercolours almost works against the intended show of strength. There's a real tension. I like it. Curator: Interesting you say that. These objects were really instruments of statecraft; they helped establish national identity. Putting the king, literally, on a pedestal in everyday households. What reads as fragility could also be seen as an intimate portrayal for a broad audience. Editor: An intimacy via mass production? It's such a peculiar balance to strike. I keep thinking about how it would've been to live with him literally on your wall like that. A constant presence, or a quiet promise? I wonder… Curator: Perhaps a reminder of national pride finding its feet. What’s lovely about pieces like these is how they merge the grandeur of history with something we can actually touch. The Dutch Golden Age tile tradition meeting a newly established kingdom. It's more human, less monumental than a massive oil painting. Editor: A history literally pieced together. Tile by tile. Very charming. I am intrigued by the humanity behind the imagery of power and state. Thank you.