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DOI Artikel:Brusewicz, Lech; Nason, Pieter [Ill.]: The paintings by Pieter Nason in polish collections
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18863#0011
also got into touch with numerous painters37. The diary of the trip informs that on 5th and
6th February 1668, he was in the Hague. He met there the Prince of Orange and envoys of
others states, choosing for their confidential talks the "Oude" or "Nieuwe Geschutgieterij
Dienst" or the atelier of some painter. The studios of various artists (two or even three) were
used. One of them was certainly Caspar Netscher, otheis are unknown. G.J. Hoogewerff held
the opinion that the painters in ąuestion were either Pieter Nason, Hanneman or Jan de Baen38.
From the correspondence between Cosimo Medici and his plenipotentiary in the Hague, Heinsius,
we know that the Duke commissioned one of them with portraits of Miss de Warfusee, Misses
van Wassenaer and the two daughters of Johan van Ghent39. The execution of the portiaits
took long, though. Even in his letter of June lOth 1669, Heinsius was informing him as he
did already in his letter written a year before, that paintings were not ready yet:
"...Pictor Haganus dum operam multa cunclatione procrastinat, rubore eąuidem iuslissimo me
totum atąue indignatione non modica implevit, quem flagitator horlatorąue tantum non ąuotidia-
nus ad officium excitavi, ąuoties per morbi intervalla compellari a memet ipso potuit. Nunc
eis dies admodum paucos supremum manum tabulis fore imponcndam pollicetur, in ąuibus mi-
nimum laboris sit reliąui, idąue circa restitum unius atąue alterius ex virginum numero, ąuod
et ipsum testis oculatus adfirmo...,,il'. In a letter of Heinsius dated May 13th, 1669, the
name of Pieter Nason was mentioned. He made a portrait of Sophia Amalie Nassau, the niecę
of Johan Maurits Nassau-Siegen, Nason's patron in the former years. Heinsius bought it as
a gift for Cosimo. These were the reasons for P.J. Blok to recogniże Nason as the mysterious
artist named in the correspondence as "Pictor Haganus"41. The hypothesis is very likely, sińce
it is known that in 1669 Nason made a portrait of a Wassenaer young lady12 and the very fact
tliat a work by Nason was chosen by impatient Cosimo Medici proves that the name was well
known to that eminent collector. According to the taxation census of 1674, Pieter Nason lived
in the Hague, at "Bierstraat" in the first house on the northern side43. We hardly know
anything about the artist's last years. We can only suppose that in the 70s and the beginning
of the 80s of the 17th century he was still a popular painter at the Orange court, sińce
there exist portraits by him of the stadhouder of Frisia, Hendrik Casimir II van Oranje44 and
those of Willem III and his wife Mary Stuart45. The date of the artist's death is nnknown.
He was still alive in the Hague in 1688; however in 1691 his wife was said to be widowed46.
According to P. Terwesten, Nason was buried in the Hague47.
2
Nearly all the historians — following the opinion of P. Terwesten and Ch. Kramm — assumed
Jan Anthoniesz van Ravesteyn as Nason's master, although this was not confirmed by the
available and published records listing Ravesteyn's numerous disciples48. The earliest signed
37. H. Geisenheimer, "Beitrage zur Geschichte des niedcrlandischen Kunsthandcls in der zwciten Hiilfte des 17 jhr.", Jalir-
buch der kónigl.-prcuss. Kunstsanunlungen, XXXII, 1911, p. 39—40.
38. G.J. Hoogewerff, De twee reizen van Cosimo de Medici prins van Toscane door de Nederlanden [1667 —1669), Amsterdam,
1919, p. XXXIII.
39. as above, XV, 340—345.
40. P.J. Blok, Verslag van onderzoekingen naar archiva'ia in Italia, 's-Gravenhage, 1901, p. 29ff.
41. ibidem
42. The painting in the collection of van Wassenaer — Catwijk, Lciden, photo: RKD.
43. H.E. van Gelder, "Haagsche Cohieren II (1674)", Die Haghe, 1914/15, p. 78.
44. One of them was found in the Boggards collection in the Hague, photo: RKD (signed and dated 1678), the other in the
collection in Leeuwarden, inv. no. 586 (signed and dated 1679; exccuted in the form of an engraving by A. Błonie-
ling?).
45. Mentioned in Voorloopige lijst der Nederlandsche Monumenten van geschiedenis en kunst, Utrecht, 1915; III, p, 102.
46. A. Wurzbach, op. cit.
47. Ch. Kramm, op. cii., IV, p. 1188.
48. E.W. Moes, A. Bredius, "De schildersfamilic Ravesteyn'\ OH, 1892, p. 42.
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6th February 1668, he was in the Hague. He met there the Prince of Orange and envoys of
others states, choosing for their confidential talks the "Oude" or "Nieuwe Geschutgieterij
Dienst" or the atelier of some painter. The studios of various artists (two or even three) were
used. One of them was certainly Caspar Netscher, otheis are unknown. G.J. Hoogewerff held
the opinion that the painters in ąuestion were either Pieter Nason, Hanneman or Jan de Baen38.
From the correspondence between Cosimo Medici and his plenipotentiary in the Hague, Heinsius,
we know that the Duke commissioned one of them with portraits of Miss de Warfusee, Misses
van Wassenaer and the two daughters of Johan van Ghent39. The execution of the portiaits
took long, though. Even in his letter of June lOth 1669, Heinsius was informing him as he
did already in his letter written a year before, that paintings were not ready yet:
"...Pictor Haganus dum operam multa cunclatione procrastinat, rubore eąuidem iuslissimo me
totum atąue indignatione non modica implevit, quem flagitator horlatorąue tantum non ąuotidia-
nus ad officium excitavi, ąuoties per morbi intervalla compellari a memet ipso potuit. Nunc
eis dies admodum paucos supremum manum tabulis fore imponcndam pollicetur, in ąuibus mi-
nimum laboris sit reliąui, idąue circa restitum unius atąue alterius ex virginum numero, ąuod
et ipsum testis oculatus adfirmo...,,il'. In a letter of Heinsius dated May 13th, 1669, the
name of Pieter Nason was mentioned. He made a portrait of Sophia Amalie Nassau, the niecę
of Johan Maurits Nassau-Siegen, Nason's patron in the former years. Heinsius bought it as
a gift for Cosimo. These were the reasons for P.J. Blok to recogniże Nason as the mysterious
artist named in the correspondence as "Pictor Haganus"41. The hypothesis is very likely, sińce
it is known that in 1669 Nason made a portrait of a Wassenaer young lady12 and the very fact
tliat a work by Nason was chosen by impatient Cosimo Medici proves that the name was well
known to that eminent collector. According to the taxation census of 1674, Pieter Nason lived
in the Hague, at "Bierstraat" in the first house on the northern side43. We hardly know
anything about the artist's last years. We can only suppose that in the 70s and the beginning
of the 80s of the 17th century he was still a popular painter at the Orange court, sińce
there exist portraits by him of the stadhouder of Frisia, Hendrik Casimir II van Oranje44 and
those of Willem III and his wife Mary Stuart45. The date of the artist's death is nnknown.
He was still alive in the Hague in 1688; however in 1691 his wife was said to be widowed46.
According to P. Terwesten, Nason was buried in the Hague47.
2
Nearly all the historians — following the opinion of P. Terwesten and Ch. Kramm — assumed
Jan Anthoniesz van Ravesteyn as Nason's master, although this was not confirmed by the
available and published records listing Ravesteyn's numerous disciples48. The earliest signed
37. H. Geisenheimer, "Beitrage zur Geschichte des niedcrlandischen Kunsthandcls in der zwciten Hiilfte des 17 jhr.", Jalir-
buch der kónigl.-prcuss. Kunstsanunlungen, XXXII, 1911, p. 39—40.
38. G.J. Hoogewerff, De twee reizen van Cosimo de Medici prins van Toscane door de Nederlanden [1667 —1669), Amsterdam,
1919, p. XXXIII.
39. as above, XV, 340—345.
40. P.J. Blok, Verslag van onderzoekingen naar archiva'ia in Italia, 's-Gravenhage, 1901, p. 29ff.
41. ibidem
42. The painting in the collection of van Wassenaer — Catwijk, Lciden, photo: RKD.
43. H.E. van Gelder, "Haagsche Cohieren II (1674)", Die Haghe, 1914/15, p. 78.
44. One of them was found in the Boggards collection in the Hague, photo: RKD (signed and dated 1678), the other in the
collection in Leeuwarden, inv. no. 586 (signed and dated 1679; exccuted in the form of an engraving by A. Błonie-
ling?).
45. Mentioned in Voorloopige lijst der Nederlandsche Monumenten van geschiedenis en kunst, Utrecht, 1915; III, p, 102.
46. A. Wurzbach, op. cit.
47. Ch. Kramm, op. cii., IV, p. 1188.
48. E.W. Moes, A. Bredius, "De schildersfamilic Ravesteyn'\ OH, 1892, p. 42.
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