Lot Essay
The eighth child of the Winter King and Queen, Edward of the Palatinate was raised in the exiled court of his parents in Holland and England. In 1645 he travelled to Paris, where he secretly married Anna, daughter of Duke Charles of Mantua-Gonzaga and Nevers. As a result of his marriage, he became a Catholic, in the face of the objections of his Protestant family. No other portrait of this type is recorded. Judson and Ekkart note that it must have been painted before the sitter left Amsterdam for Paris in 1645.
When in exile in The Hague, the 'Winter Queen' continued to add to her collection of portraits. This eventually passed to her loyal friend, William, 1st Earl of Craven, upon whose generosity she long depended. The collection was divided between his three houses, Hampstead Marshall and Ashdown in Berkshire, and Combe Abbey in Warwickshire.
When in exile in The Hague, the 'Winter Queen' continued to add to her collection of portraits. This eventually passed to her loyal friend, William, 1st Earl of Craven, upon whose generosity she long depended. The collection was divided between his three houses, Hampstead Marshall and Ashdown in Berkshire, and Combe Abbey in Warwickshire.