Michiel Jansz. Van Mierevelt (Delft 1567 – 1641), Portrait of Queen Elizabeth Stuart of Bavaria, the "Winter Queen". Photo Sotheby's.
oil on panel; 26 by 19 1/2 in.; 66 by 49.5 cm. Estimation 25,000 — 35,000 USD
Provenance: Acquired by the present owner in 1982.
Queen Elizabeth Stuart (1596 - 1662) was the eldest daughter of King James I of England and his wife, Queen Anne of Denmark. In 1613, after a year of courtship, Elizabeth married the German Frederick V, Elector Palatine, and within two months of marriage, the newlyweds moved to the Electoral Court at Heidelberg. Six years later, following the death of King Matthias, they transferred to Prague; in August of 1619 Frederick took the throne as King of Bavaria and Elizabeth was crowned Queen. Their reign, however, was short-lived. The Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II, a former contender for the Bavarian crown, defeated Frederick at the Battle of White Mountain in November that same year and, though their rule continued for some months from Prague, Elizabeth was dubbed the “Winter Queen” due to her one season on the throne.
Mierevelt was a renowned for his remarkable skills in portraiture, and his creations were often frank and truthful depictions of their subjects. He was the official painter at the court of the Stadholder in Delft, and enjoyed much favor from the House of Orange, who commissioned numerous portraits of their family members.1 A number of portraits of Elizabeth Stuart by Mierevelt are extant, though that most closely resembling the present work is a depiction of the queen now in the Gemeentehuis Sint Maartensdijk, Tholen (inv. no. 7, fig. 1). In that work the sitter appears to be some years older and is shown in three-quarter length, holding a fan, however she is depicted in the same feathered headdress and black gown, with a triple string of pearls, down the front of her stomacher.
1. R. O. Ekkart, “Michiel van Mierevelt” in The Dictionary of Art, vol. 21, p. 486.
Sotheby's. The Courts of Europe. New York | 30 janv. 2014 - www.sothebys.com