Collections of the House of Orange and Dutch Royal Family

[lucien]

The Royal House website opened a virtual exhibition on Fans from the Royal Collection,thus anticipating on the exhibition at the Fan Museum,Greenwich and its present exhibition "A touch of Dutch".

The fans are in the Historic Collections Foundation of The House of Orange.
One is now owned by HRH Princess Máxima.
Het Koninklijk Huis

The Fan Museum in Greenwich, London

 

[Marengo]

Collections of the Dutch Royal Family

This thread is about the various pieces of Art owned by the Dutch royal family.

Here a look at the painting 'Vivat Oraenge' that was offered as a gift to HM the Queen on her 25th jubilee. HM donated the painting to Palace Het Loo. The painting was made by Jan Davidsz. De Heem around 1670 and costed around 725.000 euro.

The painting was previously owned by HRH Princess Christina, who sold it at an auction after she divorced Jorge Guillermo.

 

[Marengo]

Dutch Royal Auctions

From PPE-AGENCY:

Amsterdam Auctionhouse Chrisie's in Amsterdam will auction on the 24th and 25th a ''aquarelle'' of princess Beartrix and Princess Irene.
Beatrix and Irene painted end '40 a moose, a goat, a hare and a horse in a meadow with mushrooms.
The aquarelle is an invitation for the ''Gala Circus'', organized by the princesses for the Red Cross.
The text, typed by the princesses has a entrance fee of ''no less under a ten-cent piece''.

Apart from the aquarel they will auction more items, look here.

Article in Dutch from newspaper 'De Limburger', here.

 

[marmi]

I like the symbolism of the painting, (the oranges) but parts of the painting are quite dark arent they (or is it just the light here - we're in the middle of hail and the lights keep flickering...)?

 

[Marengo]

Ferrari that once belonged to Prince Bernhard will be auctioned at Palace Het Loo on august 31st.

The car is a Ferrari 212 Inter from 1955. The car has driven only 27.000 kilometers and still has the original licenseplate AA-13. The car is valued between 450.000 and 500.000 Euros.

Article in Dutch here, from the Reformatorisch Dagblad.

 

[Marengo]

The car has been auctioned of, at a price of E. 345.000,-. Less than what they hoped for but a whole lot more than the original price of 10.000,- guilders.

Apparently all the cars of the late Prince Bernhard had the numberplate AA-13....

Source: royal blog, here.

 

[marmi]

Thanks for the update Marengo!

 

[lucien]

Collections of the House of Orange

A new on-line exhibition on the Royal house website:

Het Koninklijk Huis

 

[lucien]

The Royal House website now has an on-line exhibition of wonderfull photo's by Court photographer Franz Ziegler ( 1893 - 1939).

Het Koninklijk Huis

 

[lucien]

A new on-line exhibition from the Royal House archives was launched today:

Het Koninklijk Huis

 

[lucien]

Royal Sledges in the wonderfull winterland at Het Loo Palace,ao,Queen Emma's silver sledge,and the gnome sledge,
used by all young Royals when staying at Het Oude Loo:

PPE Agency

courtesy ppe

 

[maria-olivia]

Lucien , Do you think Queen/Princess Juliana had a happy childhood with Queen Emma, Queen Wilhemina and her cousin Athlone ?
Thanks for the old pictures , there is a funny one of Prince Bernhard wearing an uniform.

 

[RubyPrincess168]

Royal Sledges in the wonderfull winterland at Het Loo Palace,ao,Queen Emma's silver sledge,and the gnome sledge,
used by all young Royals when staying at Het Oude Loo:

PPE Agency

courtesy ppe

I've never seen sleighes/sleds like that. Beautiful horses though!

 

[Marengo]

I believe they have more of these sledges at the stables of palac het Loo. I remember some other ones when I visited the palace last time, and the one with the gnomes is new to me.

Queen/Princess Juliana had a happy childhood with Queen Emma, Queen Wilhemina and her cousin Athlone

I believe that she had a relatively nice childhood, esp. if you compare it to that of her mother. She had some friends/class mates (carefully selected of course). Queen Juliana always had fond memories of her father, they could be 'naughty' together. But still it must have been somewhat lonely, and two parents who were ill at ease with each other might also have made her childhood more difficult.

 

[lucien]

An update of the Dutch Royal House Collections:

Tentoonstelling Koninklijk Huisarchief - Het Koninklijk Huis

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Every couple of years another carrriage from the Royal Mews in The Hague is restored. In the course of years berlines, coupés, landauers and calêches have been brought to a sparkling new state, most of them by the firm Stolk in the village of Balkbrug, in the East of the Netherlands.

Now the eldest and one of the grandest gala-berlines in the collection has been restored. It is the so-called "Glass State Carriage", on this picture (taken during a rehearsal) you see it in pre-restoration state. On March 16th 2015 (exactly 200 years after the acceptance of the kingship by Willem I of Orange-Nassau (back then including present-day Belgium and he was also the Grand Duke.of Luxembourg), King Willem-Alexander will review the restored Glass State Carriage.

In 1821 King Willem I ordered the carriage at P. Simons in Brussels. Five years later the carriage was ready. It is a large carriage, in darkblue, lined with a broad cadre of guilded acorn- and laurel leafs. The name is derived from the crystal-glass cover which protects the beautiful but vulnerable ornamental lining under the windows. The interior consists of purple and beige velvet with golden-embroided passements. The seating cushions are filled with horse-hair. The "heaven" of the carriage is made of golden-embroided blue and beige silk.

In precedence the Golden State Carriage and the Glass State Carriage are equal. Both are Number One for the most formal ceremonies of state. However the Glass State Coach became very seldom used: after World War II it was only once used by Queen Juliana, Prince Bernhard and Gösta von Amsberg, Freiin von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen to travel in the wedding procession of Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus. For the rest it was once a year used for the rehearsal of the procession for Prinsjesdag. This kept the antique carriage rolling.

I hope that now the Golden State Carriage will go into restoration for a couple of years. It can use a fresh layer of sparkling gold and the interior can use some restoration too. The Glass State Carriage is less spectacular but soooo beautiful: http://www.hethuisvanoranje.nl/24%20Vorstelijke%20Vervoer/Stallen%20Het%20Loo/De%20Glazen%20Koets.jpg.



An example of what a new fresh layer of gold can do. These are the Three Graces holding the royal crown, part of the so-called Crème Calèche.

This picture shows the diffference in the new gold on the restored Crème Calèche and the old gold on the still to be restored Golden State Carriage, standing next to it... Imagine that the Golden State Carriage will disappear for a couple of years for a restoration and then rolls out on a sunny day, covered in sparkling new gold, wow wow, what a spectacular sight that would be!

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Today the eldest gala glassberline still in use, the so-called "Glass State Carriage" left the building of the Royal Mews to an exhibition. The King will unveil the splendidly restored carriage, which will be exhibited for the public during a limited period.

Pic: the Glass State Carriage from 1821 leaves the Royal Mews in The Hague (click on the pic itself to expand)

Pic: sparkling new gold and the seat of the coachman is brand new too (click on the pic itself to expand)

Pic: an old pic of the Glass State Carriage before the restoration: it is clear that a new fresh layer of gold was needed (click on the pic itself to expand)

Pic: now I hope the Golden State Cariage will be restored. This picture shows the diffference in the new gold on the restored Crème Calèche and the old gold on the still to be restored Golden State Carriage, standing next to it...

 

[royalfanvivian]

The Glass Carriage today brought to the Louwman Museum in The Hague. After five years of restoration, the coach made ​​so finally find a ride.

First images restored Glass Carriage

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Now fingers crossed that the Golden State Carriage will be restored now and that during this period King Willem-Alexander will use the splendid Glass State Carriage for Prinsjesdag, like Willem I, Willem II, Willem III, Emma and Wilhelmina did.

The Glass State Carrage in action, in colour picture, on March 10th 1966 (see the left corner down of the picture). Click on the picture itself to blow up to mega XXL size.

The Glass State Carriage was horsedrawn by four horses and the passengers were:
- Queen Juliana of the Netherlands
- Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands
- Gösta von Amsberg, Freiin von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen

On the picture you can see more carriages (Golden State Carriage, a Gala Berline). Not visible were other Gala Berlines with Prince Carlos Hugo and Princess Irene de Bourbon de Parme, with Princess Margriet and Princess Christina, the witnesses, etc.)

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

On the Benelux Royal Message Board a poster named Sal posted a fan-tas-tic picture of the restored Glass State Carriage.

I am speechless, what an elegant carriage! Now I see that the woodwork is in blue (it always looked black on pictures). It really looks brand new and not almost 200 years old. What a beauty! Compliments to the Dutch royal family for their fantastic collection of gala carriages. That gold is sparkling, the red velvet, the white embroidery, one of Europe's most beautiful carriages from that era, if you ask me!

Link to the picture by Sal

 

[Lee-Z]

Indeed, very elegant!! I hope they will use it sometime soon, i can really see the little princesses in this

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Yesterday the King stated that the Glass State Carriage is the stand-in for the Golden State Carriage, when that last one is not available. The Glass State Carriage was restored for real usage. This requires other conditions than "just" be a museum piece.

I think we can expect the Golden State Carriage to go into restoration now. Since 1897 (the year of construction) nothing has happened to the carriage, in terms of renovations or restorations.

On pictures you can see that the lustre of the gold has gone and that here and there a new fresh layer is needed. The coachman's seat needs a new bright red overcloth with fresh embroidered Arms and guirlandes. Inside the silk seats embroidered with motifs and coats-of-arms need a freshen-up. The fastening of the Four Graces (carrying the crown on top) seem not waterproof: during rainy rides it has leaked some water, which caused circles on the silk "heaven" (the inner rooftop of the carriage).

Picture (click on the picture itself to enlarge it to mega-XXL). The cherubins and seraphims on the rooftop, holding the King's monogram and the fencing with the coats-of-arms show that new gold is needed.

 

[Rudolph]

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- An investigation into the Dutch royal family's extensive art collection has uncovered one painting that was likely looted during Nazi Germany's World War II occupation of the Netherlands.

More: Dutch royal family's art collection contains 1 apparently looted painting, investigation reveals | Entertainment & Showbiz from CTV News

 

[Marengo]

The painting:
Koninklijke familie bezit roofkunstwerk - nrc.nl

The king has returned the painting to the family. Apparently there may be one more painting which will need to be returned. A mountain landscape with the sacred Hubertus by Paul Bril.

Apparently 1300 paintings and objects have been researched.

 

[Rudolph]

The Dutch royal family has said it will return a painting from its collection thought to have been looted by the Nazis during World War Two.

The painting, by Joris van der Haagen, had been bought by Queen Juliana from a Dutch art dealer in 1960.

The palace said an investigation looked at tens of thousands of art works in the House of Orange's collection.

Officials have contacted the heirs of the original owner, who was not named, to arrange its return.

More: Dutch royal family to return Nazi looted art - BBC News

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Some sensational conspirationists insinuated that the palaces of the Oranges were studded with Nazi-looted jewish art. Especially specialists like Gerard Aalders, a stauch anti-Prince Bernhard historian and Ronny Naftaniel - a staunch pro-Israel/Jewish campaigner made the impression that in the years 1944/1945, when Prince Bernhard was Commander in Chief, he made use of that position to confisquate numerous artworks which were looted during the Nazi occupation.

After extensive investigation only one, repeat: one, painting which was purchased in 1960 seemed to have been looted once. The King immediately cleared the unlucky problem by reacting pro-actively and already settle the case with the heirs before the report was made public.

So, the fantasy stories of the Orange-Nassaus having numerous looted artefacts are now proven untrue. The commission concluded that the bulk of the Orange-Nassau collections predate waaaay before 1933-1945 and the purchases in that period and after were limited.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

What I do not understand: in 1960 Queen Juliana purchased "The Hague Forest with view on Huis ten Bosch Palace" by Joris Abrahamszoon van der Haagen (1615-1669). A centuries old painting, depicting an Orange-Nassau residence: no wonder Queen Juliana purchased it. Apparently in 1942 it was "bought" (read: looted, because bought by an enforced absurd low estimation) by the bank Lippman, Rosenthal & Co in Amsterdam from a Jewish collectioner. The commission confirmed that Queen Juliana had no idea about the tragic events, earlier in 1942, when she bought the painting in 1960. Now I understand her grandson, the King, has ordered the painting to be handed over to the heirs of the owner who "sold" it in 1942.

But what about the King himself? He feels forced to abandon a centuries-old painting which depicts his very own residence, to the heirs, possibly somewhere in the USA, whom have no any attachment to the building on that painting. His grandmother paid an (undoubtedly formidable) sum for the painting, all in good trust. Isn't it weird that the King now has to hand over property which was simply bought from an arts & antiquities shop in Amsterdam, while he is completely without any blame? He was not even born when his grandmother purchased that painting.

Of course the Orange-Nassaus have thousands and thousands of artworks but it is about the principle. Imagine that the King purchases an antique parure of diamonds and Pearls and gives it to Queen Máxima. Suddenly it becomes clear that the cassette once belonged to a Jewish family and was looted during the occupation. How could the King know? So, he will feel enforced to hand over that glittering parure to the heirs of a lady 70-80 years ago, while he has done nothing wrong.

I applaud the King's swift action but I tried to imagine myself (not so affluent with cash as His Majesty) in the same situation. Suddenly I have to hand over that painting which my grandfather once, in all honesty, purchased in Antwerp or Brussels. Hellooooo! That is my painting! Am I the only one who sees some unlogic in the situation? It implies that the King (or you and me) have to investigate way back what the origins are from artefacts offered for sale...

No idea who was the seller of the painting by Joris Abrahamszoon van der Haagen. If he still has a shop, maybe I would sue him for selling looted stuff, even when it is about a sale more than half a century ago...


This is the painting "The Hague Forest with view on Huis ten Bosch Palace" by Joris Abrahamszoon van der Haagen (1615-1669):
http://www.nltimes.nl/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Joris-van-der-Haagen-1024x670.jpg
Click on the picture to expand.

 

[Marengo]

If it is 'the principle that counts' as you say, I think other principles are more important. The painting was stolen ('forced to sell') from a Dutch-Jewish family. I assume that much of the family was murdered during the war. Their possessions were most likely never returned. This happened in many cases when Jewish survivors came back: other people took over their houses, their material possessions were looted etc. In Amsterdam Jewish survivors even had to pay tax when they returned from the camps as they were unable to do so while they were held. It is shameful. Returning the painting was the only right thing to do and I am happy that the king realized this.

The family can decide what to do with the painting next. Maybe they want to keep it, maybe they want to sell it, maybe they want to lend it. Who knows? But it can only be their decision. It is a pity for the royal collection indeed, Queen Juliana bought it in good faith indeed, but that does not take away that the king did the only right thing.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Yes of course the King did the right thing, but imagine in 1962 or so, your grandmother bought a nice set of porcelain tableware. Your grandmother, your mother and finally you yourself have been absolutely careful with the fantastic tableware, which has decorated so many of your family's best dinners.

Then suddenly it figured out that your grandmother -with the best intentions- seems to have bought items which were once looted. This means that YOU, suddenly are requested to hand over everything to heirs somewhere. Yes, justice is done to the heirs. But new injustice is done: to you, to your mother and to your grandmother, if you understand the point I try to make.

 

[Marengo]

Somehow that injustice pales in comparison IMHO, so I think many would be glad to correct such a thing.