Artwork

Portrait of Maria of Orange (1642-1688), with Hendrik van Zuijlestein (d. 1673) and a Servant

Portrait of Maria of Orange (1642-1688), with Hendrik van Zuijlestein (d. 1673) and a Servant is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Johannes Mytens. It dates from 1665 and is held in the collection of the Mauritshuis.

About this work

Overview

The central figure, Maria of Orange, is accompanied by Hendrik van Zuijlestein and a servant, set against a modest landscape with trees and a cloud‑filled sky.

Created in 1665 by Dutch painter Johannes Mytens, this oil on canvas presents a three‑person group portrait. The central figure, Maria of Orange, is accompanied by Hendrik van Zuijlestein and a servant, set against a modest landscape with trees and a cloud‑filled sky. The composition reflects the mid‑seventeenth‑century Dutch preference for depicting family and status within a single, cohesive scene.

Subject & Meaning

Maria of Orange is shown in an elaborate blue and gold gown trimmed with lace, topped by a white feathered hat, indicating her high social rank. To her left stands a child, identified as Hendrik van Zuijlestein, clutching a staff, while a servant on the right holds reins of a white horse draped in a red blanket. The arrangement underscores familial ties and the household’s hierarchical structure.

Technique & Style

Mytens employs the detailed realism typical of the Dutch Golden Age, rendering fabrics, embroidery and the servant’s simple yellow shirt with meticulous brushwork. The subdued landscape background provides depth without detracting from the figures, while the careful handling of light accentuates the textures of silk, lace and the horse’s coat, exemplifying the period’s focus on materiality and status.

History & Provenance

Johannes Mytens, trained under Anthony van Opstal and Nicolas van der Horst, came from a lineage of painters that included his uncles Isaac and Daniël Mijtens. Active in The Hague, he produced this work for the family of Maria of Orange. The painting has remained within Dutch collections, illustrating the continued interest in portraiture that documents the social elite of the Golden Age.

Double portrait of Jan van der Voort (1626-1678) and his sister Catharina van der Voort (1622-1674), with a servant, Ferdinand Bol

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Artist

Johannes Mytens

Johannes Mytens or Jan Mijtens, or "Mytens" to the English (c. 1614 – 24 December 1670) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, almost entirely as a portraitist. Mytens was born in The Hague. According to Houbraken, Johannes…