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Prince William I nursed by his Wife Charlotte de Bourbon after the Abortive Attempt on his Life by Jean Jaurequi in Antwerp in 1582
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Prince William I nursed by his Wife Charlotte de Bourbon after the Abortive Attempt on his Life by Jean Jaurequi in Antwerp in 1582

Nicolaas Pieneman · 1840 · panel; oil paint (paint)

From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

William of Orange (1533 - 1584) nursed by his wife Charlotte de Bourbon (1546 - 1582) after a failed assassination attempt, by N. Pieneman, 1840. Jean Jaureguy struck Prince William in the jugular when he attacked him in Antwerp in 1582. According to the story, Charlotte remained by William's bedside for a week and died herself, two months later, of exhaustion. Pieneman emphasized Charlotte's sacrificial role, like the poet-cleric J.J.L. ten Kate. In an address commemorating Pieneman in 1861 he pictured her, on the base of this portrait, as 'the representative of that heroic Dutch sense of loyalty, in which Woman in her more confined circle is no less noble than Man in the wider sphere when it comes to rigid determination and selfless love'.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own description
Credit linePrince William I nursed by his Wife Charlotte de Bourbon after the Abortive Attempt on his Life by Jean Jaurequi in Antwerp in 1582. 1840. Nicolaas Pieneman. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.

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