195 - Jan van RAVESTEYN (1570–1657), workshop of

Jan van RAVESTEYN (1570–1657), workshop of Portrait of Count John of Nassau-Siegen Oil on canvas H_59.5 cm W_49.5 cm Inscription: “Graue Jan van Nassau” Previously attributed to Michiel Jansz van Miereveld. Related work: -Workshop of Jan van Ravesteyn, Portrait of John VIII of Nassau-Siegen (1583–1638), c. 1614–1633, oil on panel, 29.8 × 24.2 cm, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. SK-A-534. Bibliography: J. Bikker (ed.), Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Artists Born between 1570 and 1600, Amsterdam, 2007 Our portrait of John VIII of Nassau-Siegen follows the model developed by Jan van Ravesteyn’s workshop in the first third of the 17th century, as seen in the famous Leeuwarden portrait series. Comprising 41 surviving portraits, plus three works that are now lost, this collection originates from the residence of the stadtholders of Friesland in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. Assembled around 1609, likely at the initiative of William Louis of Nassau-Dillenburg (1560–1620), and gradually expanded until around 1633–1635, this dynastic gallery was intended to honor the members of the House of Nassau as well as the principal officers who distinguished themselves during the Eighty Years’ War (1568–1648), which pitted the United Provinces against the Spanish monarchy. Our portrait depicts John VIII of Nassau-Siegen (1583–1638). A member of this illustrious princely family, he led a distinguished military career. After his conversion to Catholicism in 1612, he aligned himself with the Habsburgs and fought in the service of the Spanish monarchy, notably alongside Ambrogio Spinola. His career illustrates the political and religious divisions that ran through the great European dynasties at that time. Our painting is similar in composition to the portrait of John VIII housed at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, but it is distinguished by its larger dimensions and the fact that it is executed on canvas. These portraits reflect the taste of 17th-century European elites for ceremonial portraits, which served to affirm family prestige.