Creative Commons License
Marriage Medal of Willem of Orange and Mary of England
(Baroque Europe )
In 1641, Willem II of Orange (1626-50) married Princess Mary (1631-60), daughter of King Charles, when she was 9 years old and he was 14. The husband normally occupies the position of higher status on the left side of a portrait, but Mary, daughter of the powerful king of England, takes that position here. They join right hands as a mark good of faith, while rays of heavenly light and the dove of the Holy Spirit show divine approval. The inscription says that their fathers commanded them to marry. Charles wanted Dutch support in his civil wars, and the Dutch wanted status. The fine, raised detail includes the palace in The Hague where the couple will live.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Mrs. Henry Walters Sale, New York, May 2, 1941, no. 1264; Douglas H. Gordon, 1941, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1941, by gift.
Exhibitions
| 2000 | Small Northern European Portraits from The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. National Gallery of Art, Washington. |
Geographies
Germany, Bremen
(Place of Origin)
Netherlands, The Hague (Place Depicted)
Measurements
3 in. (7.62 cm) (diam.) approx.
Credit Line
Gift of Douglas H. Gordon, 1941
Location in Museum
Charles Street: Second Floor: 17th-Century Dutch Cabinet Rooms
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
59.585