Lot Essay
Maurits, Prince of Orange and Count of Nassau, was born in 1567 as a son of Prince Willem I (The Silent) of Orange and his second wife Anna Countess of Saxony. On his 18th birthday, in 1585, he was appointed Stadholder, Captain-General and Admiral of Holland and Zeeland; eventually he also became Stadholder of the remaining of the Seven United Provinces
At the time much of The Netherlands was suffering under Spanish occupation. An ingenious but rather ruthless General, Maurits succeeded in liberating numerous towns and fortresses from 1586 onwards. An armistice concluded with Spain lasted from 1609 until 1621. During those twelve years a religious dissention developed between the orthodox protestant Orangists and the liberal Remonstrants. An ecclesiastical synod, held at Dordrecht in 1618-1619, was intended to underwrite the theme of tolerance but failed to do so. However, a print of 1619 glorified the concord and bliss enjoyed by the Seven United Provinces since the Synod of Dordrecht and show, amongst others, the Ship of State on a becalmed sea, the arms of Maurits and the inscriptions 'Concordia res parvae crescunt' (Unity makes the weak powerful; the motto of the Dutch Republic of the Seven United Provinces) and 'Tandem fit surculus arbor' (At last the twig becomes a tree; the motto of the arms of Prince Maurits). The engraving on the present roemer is also of 1619 and carries similar inscriptions as well as a misspelt 'Je Maintiendray' (the motto of Prince Willem I). The tree-stump shown alludes to the death of Maurits' father who was assassinated in 1584; the twigs sprouting from the stump represent Maurits and his younger half-brother Frederik Hendrik
Seventeen drinking-vessels are now known to have been diamond-point engraved in honour of Prince Maurits between 1594 and 1619. The gross misspellings on the present roemer do not occur on the other Maurits glasses and could perhaps be indicative of a Germanic hand
We are grateful to Mr. F.G.A.M. Smit for the above information
For an undated armorial roemer diamond-point engraved in honour of Prince Maurits see The Guépin Collection, sale Christie's Amsterdam, 5 July 1989, lot 36
At the time much of The Netherlands was suffering under Spanish occupation. An ingenious but rather ruthless General, Maurits succeeded in liberating numerous towns and fortresses from 1586 onwards. An armistice concluded with Spain lasted from 1609 until 1621. During those twelve years a religious dissention developed between the orthodox protestant Orangists and the liberal Remonstrants. An ecclesiastical synod, held at Dordrecht in 1618-1619, was intended to underwrite the theme of tolerance but failed to do so. However, a print of 1619 glorified the concord and bliss enjoyed by the Seven United Provinces since the Synod of Dordrecht and show, amongst others, the Ship of State on a becalmed sea, the arms of Maurits and the inscriptions 'Concordia res parvae crescunt' (Unity makes the weak powerful; the motto of the Dutch Republic of the Seven United Provinces) and 'Tandem fit surculus arbor' (At last the twig becomes a tree; the motto of the arms of Prince Maurits). The engraving on the present roemer is also of 1619 and carries similar inscriptions as well as a misspelt 'Je Maintiendray' (the motto of Prince Willem I). The tree-stump shown alludes to the death of Maurits' father who was assassinated in 1584; the twigs sprouting from the stump represent Maurits and his younger half-brother Frederik Hendrik
Seventeen drinking-vessels are now known to have been diamond-point engraved in honour of Prince Maurits between 1594 and 1619. The gross misspellings on the present roemer do not occur on the other Maurits glasses and could perhaps be indicative of a Germanic hand
We are grateful to Mr. F.G.A.M. Smit for the above information
For an undated armorial roemer diamond-point engraved in honour of Prince Maurits see The Guépin Collection, sale Christie's Amsterdam, 5 July 1989, lot 36