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Lot Essay
Maurits, Prince of Orange and Count of Nassau was son of Prince Willem I, known as the Silent, 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
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. These political aspirations are alluded to on the present roemer. 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.
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
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. These political aspirations are alluded to on the present roemer. 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.