DOI issue:
Nr.1-2
DOI article:[Brusewicz, Lech]: Catalogue of paintings signed or ascribed to Pieter Nason in the Polish state collections
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18863#0038
No. 7 Portrait of a Woman in Minerva's Dress (fig. 16)
a) o.c. 89x69 cm.; MNW inv.: Nieb. A. 431.
b) sign.: "PNason f. 1663" (P and N interlaced).
c) The Radziwiłł Collection at Nieborów; at the times of Zygmunt Radziwiłł (1864—79) the
painting, together with seven other portraits of different monarchs, adorned the Library.
d) good; restored.
e) unknown
f) unknown
g) The painting has not been studied thorougly; for some fime ascribed to J. Mijtens; in the
MNW as the Portrait of Christine of Sweden (?)2.
h) The dry, linear composition, multitude of smali forms and the colour scalę point to the
influence of J. Mijtens and this feature distinguishes our painting from the others painted
in 1663 in a characteristic soft manner. In spite of its lesser artistic quality, this portrait's
iconography is very interesting. It is a rare example of an allegorical portrait in Nason's
oeuvre. A helmet, an armor and a lance are the traditional attributs of Minerva. The ancient
goddess of Peace and Victory, Virtute and Chastity, a patroness of Art and Science was
a very popular symbol of these qualities in the modern literaturę and painting. The most
popular were the types of Alma Minerva and Minerva Pudica. The combination of the two
appears in our portrait (see: R. Wittkower, "Transformations of Minerva in Renaissance
Imagery", Journal of the Warburg Institute, II, 1939, p. 194—205).
In the XVIIIth and the XIXth centuries the galleries of portraits of monarchs and famous
personalities grew popolar. However, quite often, the portraits had nothing to do with
the personages they were belived to represent. Our painting seems to be such a case. Tradi-
tionally it was described as the portrait of Christine, the ex-Queen of Sweden, who was
called by her contemporaries Minerva of the North. Yet, the features of the portrayed woman
do not resemble the features of the Queen. It is also very doubtful that Nason had used
an unknown print as a pattern strongly idealizing the likeness (theoretically, it is possible,
because we know of the existing concept of idenrification of Minerva with Venus Victrix).
I am convinced that it is a portrait of an Unknown Lady of the House of Orange or the Stu-
arts(?). Minerva's dress appeared often in the Dutch XVIIth century portraiture (Rem-
brandt's Saskia, portraits in the oeuvre of Govaert Flinck, Godfrid Camphuysen, Willem
van Mieris). Allegorical portraits of this type are rare in Nason's oeuvre; among female
portraits those with the attributs of Diana can be pointed out: see: cat. of the sale "Jos
Valette", 26.VIII.1807, Amsterdam, no. 155; cat. of the sale Amsterdam 17.XII.1850,
no. 87; cat. of the sale "Lady Travelyan", London 1.VI.1928, no. 145).
i) %. J. Wegner, 1954, p. 113/14; 2. Cat. MNW 1970, no. 873, Ul.
No. 8 Portrait of Johan Maurits Count of Nassau-Siegen (1604—1679) (fig. 17)
a) o.c. 115x90 cm.; MMO inv.: 134.
b) sign. "PNason 1663" at lower left (P and N interlaced). Inscription back: "Fiirst Mauriz
Af Nassau" and interlaced "FC" or "TC".
c) from the Dohna-Schlodien Collection at Gladysze (Schlodien).
d) good; restored.
e) unknown
f) The painting was probably commissioned by the Count himself, who left Słońsk (Sonnenburg)
in August 1662, stopped in Berlin (until September the 18th) and at Cleve, and until the
end of 1662 stayed in Holland.
32
a) o.c. 89x69 cm.; MNW inv.: Nieb. A. 431.
b) sign.: "PNason f. 1663" (P and N interlaced).
c) The Radziwiłł Collection at Nieborów; at the times of Zygmunt Radziwiłł (1864—79) the
painting, together with seven other portraits of different monarchs, adorned the Library.
d) good; restored.
e) unknown
f) unknown
g) The painting has not been studied thorougly; for some fime ascribed to J. Mijtens; in the
MNW as the Portrait of Christine of Sweden (?)2.
h) The dry, linear composition, multitude of smali forms and the colour scalę point to the
influence of J. Mijtens and this feature distinguishes our painting from the others painted
in 1663 in a characteristic soft manner. In spite of its lesser artistic quality, this portrait's
iconography is very interesting. It is a rare example of an allegorical portrait in Nason's
oeuvre. A helmet, an armor and a lance are the traditional attributs of Minerva. The ancient
goddess of Peace and Victory, Virtute and Chastity, a patroness of Art and Science was
a very popular symbol of these qualities in the modern literaturę and painting. The most
popular were the types of Alma Minerva and Minerva Pudica. The combination of the two
appears in our portrait (see: R. Wittkower, "Transformations of Minerva in Renaissance
Imagery", Journal of the Warburg Institute, II, 1939, p. 194—205).
In the XVIIIth and the XIXth centuries the galleries of portraits of monarchs and famous
personalities grew popolar. However, quite often, the portraits had nothing to do with
the personages they were belived to represent. Our painting seems to be such a case. Tradi-
tionally it was described as the portrait of Christine, the ex-Queen of Sweden, who was
called by her contemporaries Minerva of the North. Yet, the features of the portrayed woman
do not resemble the features of the Queen. It is also very doubtful that Nason had used
an unknown print as a pattern strongly idealizing the likeness (theoretically, it is possible,
because we know of the existing concept of idenrification of Minerva with Venus Victrix).
I am convinced that it is a portrait of an Unknown Lady of the House of Orange or the Stu-
arts(?). Minerva's dress appeared often in the Dutch XVIIth century portraiture (Rem-
brandt's Saskia, portraits in the oeuvre of Govaert Flinck, Godfrid Camphuysen, Willem
van Mieris). Allegorical portraits of this type are rare in Nason's oeuvre; among female
portraits those with the attributs of Diana can be pointed out: see: cat. of the sale "Jos
Valette", 26.VIII.1807, Amsterdam, no. 155; cat. of the sale Amsterdam 17.XII.1850,
no. 87; cat. of the sale "Lady Travelyan", London 1.VI.1928, no. 145).
i) %. J. Wegner, 1954, p. 113/14; 2. Cat. MNW 1970, no. 873, Ul.
No. 8 Portrait of Johan Maurits Count of Nassau-Siegen (1604—1679) (fig. 17)
a) o.c. 115x90 cm.; MMO inv.: 134.
b) sign. "PNason 1663" at lower left (P and N interlaced). Inscription back: "Fiirst Mauriz
Af Nassau" and interlaced "FC" or "TC".
c) from the Dohna-Schlodien Collection at Gladysze (Schlodien).
d) good; restored.
e) unknown
f) The painting was probably commissioned by the Count himself, who left Słońsk (Sonnenburg)
in August 1662, stopped in Berlin (until September the 18th) and at Cleve, and until the
end of 1662 stayed in Holland.
32