Dit is de kroon-princes uyt 't huys van Groot Brittangien 1738 - 1767

This is a hand-colored engraving of Anna, Princess Royal of Great Britain, made in Amsterdam by Gijsbert de Groot Keur, sometime after 1734. This print speaks volumes about the politics of imagery in the 18th century. Note the title: this is not simply a portrait, but a declaration of Anna’s royal status and lineage. Her marriage into the Dutch House of Orange is given prominence in the inscription below the image. The elaborate border, with its carefully hand-painted flowers, further emphasizes her importance. These visual codes – the formal portrait, the heraldic typography, the decorative border – were understood by a wide public audience to signify power and prestige. Consider how the artist and publisher, Keur, was using these established visual conventions to participate in a broader European discourse about monarchy, lineage, and power. To understand the full story behind this print, one might consult period newspapers, genealogical records, and studies of the print trade in the Dutch Republic. Art like this is contingent on the social and institutional context in which it was made.