Queen Henrietta Maria wife of Charles I.
Marble Bust.
by Francois Dieussart (c1600 - 61).
at Rosenborg Castle, Denmark.
A few rough notes and some related photographs, paintings and engravings.
Prepared in order to add background to the le Sueur portrait busts and statues planned for a future post.
There is unfortunately no entry for him in the Biographical Dictionary of Sculptors in Britain, 1660 - 1851.
see - Ch. Avery, 'François Dieussart (c. 1600-61), portrait
sculptor to the courts of Northern Europe', Victoria and Albert Yearbook 4
(1974), p. 63-99,
Frits Scholten, "Sir Constantijn Huygens and François
Dieussart, a portrait observed," The Sculpture Journal, publ. by the
Public Monuments and Sculpture Association London, 1997, pp. 7–15.
François Dieussart (also Frans; Armentières, c. 1600 –
London, 1661) was a Flemish-Walloon sculptor who worked for court patrons in
England and northern Europe, producing portrait busts in the Italianate style.
He was almost certainly working as a sculptor when he went to Rome Rome in his early twenties. He appears in an entry from 1622 at the charitable
organisation run at the Church of St. Julian of the Flemings and had become its
director by 1630.
He was invited to England by the Earl of Arundel in 1636, and
made a reputation there with the construction of a magnificent mechanical
monstrance forty feet (12.2 metres) high for Queen Henrietta Maria's chapel at
Somerset House.
His bust of Charles I of England, probably commissioned for Arundel Castle, is at Arundel, (below).
____________________________
Another portrait bust of Charles I is in the Royal Collection at Windsor
Castle,
It has, in the past been believed that this bust may be a version of a bust by Dieussart.
The Royal Collection say - possibly by Thomas Adye or Francis Bird (c. 1737- 44)and is speculatively
thought to be based on a now lost bust by Dieussart.
Charles I.
Attributed to Jan Blommendael (c.1650-1699).
In the Grand Vestibule Windsor castle
Image courtesy Royal Collection.
They say-
"This bust was made as a companion to a bust of William III
(RCIN 35857) attributed to William's court sculptor Jan Blommendael. It has
long been thought to be a copy of the bust of Charles I made by Gianlorenzo
Bernini in 1636, which was destroyed in the Whitehall Palace fire of 1698.
Opinion remains divided on this point: This bust does not show the
sophistication, the illusionism or the exceptionally fine cutting
characteristic of Bernini's work of the 1630s. It is also questionable whether
Blommendael, who was never in England, may have had an opportunity to model a
copy of Bernini's bust before its destruction. In his own portraiture, William
III was inclined to follow the poses and settings designed for his grandfather
Charles I, and it is possible that he commissioned these two busts as an
assertion of his legitimate right to the throne. Both busts may both be copies.
Their condition has been affected by display in the open air during part of
their history.
Provenance.
First recorded in the collection of E.J. Coleman of 32
Grosvenor Square, London.
Sold Christie's, London, 30 July 1881, lot 104
(wrongly stated in the catalogue to have been at Newstead Abbey);
B.W. Currie,
Minley Manor, Hants.
Sold Christie's, London, 27 March 1937, lot 63 (with RCIN
35856). Bought by HM Queen Elizabeth".
Image from website -
https://www.flickr.com/photos/menesje/10853539794/in/photostream/
Engraving of the (earlier?) version of the "Blomendael" bust.
The form of the socle here is very similar to that used extensively by Dieussart.
Lending credibility to the theory that the now lost original was by Dieussart.
The question then arises - was the putative Dieussart bust (in the above engraving) based on the original by Bernini lost in the 1698 fire at Whitehall Palace?
_______________
William III.
Blommendael.
1699.
_________________________________
Henrietta Maria, the Consort of Charles I.
Francois Dieussart.
1640.
Rosenborg Castle, Denmark.
_________________________
Henrietta Maria.
van Dyck.
1638.
Royal Collection
.........................
Queen Henrietta Maria.
van Dyck.
Oil on Canvas.
64.1 x 48.3.
Memphis Brookes Museum of Art.
They say -
This painting of Henrietta Maria is thought to be one of
three portraits commissioned for the Italian sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini to
use in sculpting a portrait bust of the queen.
In 1635 Bernini had completed a
bust of Charles I (lost in a fire at Whitehall) from a triple portrait by van
Dyck. The royal couple was pleased with the result and immediately commissioned
a reluctant Bernini to complete a similar bust of the queen.
Two additional painted portrait busts of Henrietta Maria remain
in the Royal Collection: a frontal view and a left-facing profile view. (see above The
Brooks version a right-facing profile might have been a third image of this set. The
vague shadow of a frontal portrait, however, visible on the right edge of the
Brooks canvas, suggests the painting was cut down from its original size and
the frontal image painted over. It is therefore possible that the Brooks
portrait was not painted at the same time as the two canvases in the Royal
Collection.
None of the paintings was ever sent to Bernini, presumably due to
the political problems facing the English court. In 1642 the English Civil War
began and Henrietta Maria fled England for France.
_______________________________
Elizabeth of Bohemia sister of Charles I (1596 - 1662).
Francois Dieussart.
1641.
The bust of Elizabeth is displayed (2018) in the
new European Galleries is a second version of one in the collection of H.R.H. the
Prince of Hanover, which is there paired with a portrait of her husband.
François Dieussart was Charles I’s court sculptor and the
bust was one of the first commissions he received after he had left England for
The Hague, where the Queen was living in exile.
Images above courtesy Victoria and Albert Museum.
Elizabeth was the only surviving daughter of James I. In
1613 she married Frederick, the Protestant ruler of the Palatinate, an area of
present-day Germany.
In 1619, following a rebellion against the Catholic
Habsburg rulers, Frederick accepted the throne of Bohemia. He and Elizabeth
were expelled after less than a year, however, in one of the early battles of
the Thirty Years' War.
Living in exile in The Hague, Elizabeth came to be seen
as an ideal Protestant heroine; her hardships in exile, combined with her
beauty, made her a legend in England as 'The Winter Queen'. Her large family of
children included Prince Rupert (also sculpted by Dieussart) and Princess Sophia, the mother of King George
I.
Elizabeth of Bohemia sister of Charles I.
Gerrit van Honthorst.
Oil on panel.
667 x 546 mm.
c. 1642.
National Portrait Gallery.
Elizabeth of Bohemia.
Gerrit van Honthorst.(1592 - 1656).
Oil on Canvas.
205.1 x 130.8cms.
Signed and dated 1642.
Given to the National Gallery Cornelia Countess of Craven 1965
Elizabeth Stuart (1596 - 1662), known as the 'Winter Queen',
was the eldest daughter of James I of England. She married Frederick, the
Elector of the Palatinate, in 1613. He accepted the Bohemian crown in 1619, and
was expelled from Bohemia in the following year. They lived in exile in Holland
from 1621 onwards. She returned to England in 1661, and stayed in the London
house of the 1st Earl Craven. In the following year she moved into Leicester
House in Leicester Square where she died a few weeks later on 13 February.
The picture was painted during the Queen's exile in Holland,
ten years after she had been widowed, and may have been commissioned to mark
this anniversary. She is shown as a grieving widow, wearing black with very few
pieces of jewellery, notably the pearl earrings which had been given to her by
her husband. She holds a stem in her hand on which there are two roses, one
healthy and one wilted, a symbol of her widowed state along with the black
ribbon on her arm. The dog can be interpreted as a symbol of fidelity.
Text and image from -
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/gerrit-van-honthorst-elizabeth-stuart-queen-of-bohemia
National Gallery, London.
There are 45 various portraits in the NPG but here is not the place to investigate the earlier portraits. It will suffice to post a couple here that are more or less contemporary with the V&A marble bust.
_________________________________
Elizabeth of Bohemia.
Gerrit van Honthorst.
Oil on Canvas.
72.5 x 59 cms.
1650.
Ashdown House, National Trust
Acquired from the Sale of the Earl of Craven, Sotheby's, 1968.
Image courtesy Art UK
_______________________
Princess Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia and Electress Palatine.
by Robert van Voerst, after Gerrit van Honthorst.
line engraving, 1631.
16 1/4 in. x 11 7/8 in. (412 mm x 302 mm) paper size.
Engraving National Portrait Gallery.
_________________________
Princess Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia and Electress Palatine.
after Unknown artist.
line engraving, mid 17th century.
(220 mm x 145 mm) plate size (228 mm x 152 mm) paper size.
____________________________
Princess Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia and Electress Palatine.
by Willem Jacobsz Delff, after Michiel Jansz. van Miereveldt.
line engraving.
1623.
(417 mm x 294 mm) paper size.
National Portrait Gallery.
_____________________________
Princess Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia and Electress Palatine.
after Unknown artist.
line engraving.
17th century
(137 mm x 112 mm) paper size.
National Portrait Gallery.
_____________________________
Elizabeth and Frederick.
by Simon de Passe.
line engraving.
115 mm x 87 mm. paper size.
National Portrait Gallery
____________________________
The Sanssouci Marble busts - copies after? Francois Dieussart.
From the originals c.1747.
Mary Stuart, Princess Royal (1631 - 61).
Sancoussi.
Mary Stuart, Princess Royal (1631 - 61).
Francois Dieussart.
Schloss Museum, Oranienburg. Germany.
______________________
Princess Amalia of Solms - Braunfels (1602 - 75).
Amalia van Solms.
Gerrit van Honthorst.
1630's.
___________________
Amalia van Solms.
after Michiel van Mierevelt.
67.1 x 57.2cms.
Rijksmuseum.
............
There are two further versions of this painting another in the Rijksmuseum and the probable original in the Museum in the Hague (above).
Amalia van Solms.
Gerrit van Honthorst (studio?)
1650.
currently Huygensmuseum Hofwijck
Rijksmuseum Collection
Pendant to
Frederick Henry.
Gerrit van Honthorst (studio?).
1650.
Currently Huygensmuseum Hofwijck.
Rijksmuseum Collection.
Cornellis Visscher.
1649.
__________________________
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange and his family.
after Unknown artist.
line engraving, 17th century.
7 7/8 in. x 10 3/8 in. (200 mm x 262 mm) paper size.
National Portrait Gallery.
_____________________________
Frederick Henry and Amalia van Solms.
Gerrit van Hondhorst.
Oil on Canvas.
218 x 201.5 cms.
1637.
Mauritshuis, the Hague, Holland.
...............
Jan Mytens.
Siegerland Museum, Germany.
_____________________________
Friedrich Heinrich, Prinz of Oranien.
Francois Dieussart.
1647
Oranien Rondell, Sanssouci.
_______________________
Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg.
Francois
Dieussart-
1647.
82 cms
Inscribed - FRIED. WILH ELECT. BRANDENB. ANO AET. 33 1652.
Oranienrondell-Östlicher Lustgarten - Sanssouci.
_____________________________
Kurfürstin Louise (1627 - 1657).
Henriette-Oranienrondell-
Francois Dieussart.
Height 79 cms.
inscribed on socle - LVDVICA AURIACA ELECT. BRANDENB. ANO AET. 24. 1652.
Östlicher
Lustgarten, Sanssouci.
Moritz Prinz von Oranien.
Francois Dieussart.
1647.
Oranienrondell - Sanssouci.
Philipp Wilhelm Prinz von Oranien,
Rondell-Östlicher
Lustgarten-Sanssouci.
Prinz Wihelm II von Oranien.
Francois Dieussart).
1647.
Oranienrondell-Sanssouci.
Copy - new socle?
All theSanssouci bust photographs from -
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fran%C3%A7ois_Dieussart
______________________________________
Portrait of Johanna Doré and her husband Pieter Spiering.
François Dieussart, c. 1645 - c.
1650.
marble.
h 83.0 cm. × w 57.0 cm. × d 29.0 cm.
Both Busts Purchased by the Rijksmuseum in 1971.
.................
Portrait of Pieter Spiering.
François Dieussart, c. 1645 -
c. 1650.
Marble (rock), h 89.0 cm. × w 65.0 cm. × d 32.0 cm.
The Flemish sculptor Dieussart was a very popular
portraitist at princely courts throughout northern Europe. In The Hague, he
worked for Stadtholder Frederick Henry, but he also portrayed wealthy citizens,
such as the Delft tapestry-weaver Pieter Spiering and his wife, Johanna Doré (above).
Blurb from the wonderful Rijksmuseum website
Literature
François Dieussart in the United Provinces and the
Ambassador of Queen Christina : two newly identified busts purchased by the
Rijksmuseum / C. Avery.
By: Avery, Charles.
_____________________________
Prince Rupert of the Rhine.
Francois Dieussart.
Marble bust.
Weathered and the nose replaced by an ungifted amateur.
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
Photographed by the author.
_____________________________
Charles II as Crown Prince 1630 - 85.
Francois Dieussart.
c. 1650
Image courtesy Rijksmuseum
____________________________
Lord Arundel.
Francois Dieussart.
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
Photographed in poor light by the author.
______________________
Frederick Henry of Orange (1584 - 1647.
the youngest son of William I
of Orange .
After the death of his older brother Moritz Friedrich Heinrich
followed him in 1625 as governor of the Netherlands. He fought for the
independence of the Netherlands during the 80 years war against the Spaniards.
Because of its success in the conquest of fortified cities (especially in 1627
Grol , 1629 's-Hertogenbosch and 1632 Maastricht ) he got the nickname
"stedendwinger" the cities conqueror.
Domestically important
Friedrich Heinrich became by the union of the office of a captain generalall
troops with the governorship of all provinces. The attributes marshal's staff,
sword and armband are typical of the portrait depictions of the Orange
governor.
Frederick Henry of Orange (1584 -1647).
general
governor of the Netherlands in armor with folded broad scarf, over the right
shoulder gekontet. In his right hand he holds a command staff over his chest,
the left hand is over it and holds a medallion hanging on the band around his
neck.
The bust stood until 1785 in a garden grotto in Oranienbaum.
see also bust above in the garden at Sanssouci
______________________
Frederick Henry.
Engraving Paulus Pontius.
after Anthony van Dyck..
34 x 48.5
c. 1630.
The original is in the Norton Simon Foundation, Los Angeles.
______________________
Bust of William II of Orange (1626-1650) Heir of the
Netherlands and Harnisch.
The right hand
holds a commander's staff, the left one grasps a band wound around his
shoulder, and on the chest he wears a medallion.
The bust stood until about 1785 in a garden grotto in
Oranienbaum.
(KSDW)
______________________________
Frederick III.
King of Denmark
c. 1661.
Francois Dieussart.
Museum of Copenhagen, Denmark.
________________________
Francois Dieussart.
Museo Cerralbo, Madrid.
Don Juan Jose of Austria.
Dieussart
__________________________________
William II of Orange.
Francois Dieussart.
contracted and payed for 1646/7.
In the private collection Amalia van Solms, The Hague.
Palace Huis ten Bosch, The Hague; mentioned in her 1654/1668 inventory, under 'Mixed frayicheden.': 'Four statues in full armor, all hewed in white, marber as big as life, denoting the thorough pranks of Orangen, Willem, Maurits, Frederick Hendrick and Willem de laeste, all of the immortal recall. " (Drossaers / Lunsingh Scheurleer voil 1, pp. 259, No. 617).
1647 - 1675.
private collection William III (Prince of Orange - King of England), Het Loo/Soestdijk/Honselaarsdijk/London.
Inherited from his grandmother Amalia from Solms; at some time transported to Honselaarsdijk; mentioned in the 1694/1702 inventory of Honselaarsdijk as' In the bassecourt after the east./ The great gallery. ':' Four standing marble statues, Prince Willem the First, Frederik Hendrik and William the Second [and Prince Maurtis], with haere wooden pedestals. ' (Drossaers / Lunsigh Scheurleer 1974-1976, Vol 1, p 475, No. 579).
1675 - 1702.
Private collection Friedrich I of Prussia, Berlin City Palace / Oranienburg / Honselaarsdijk
still at Honselaarsdijk.
1702 - 1713.
Private collection Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia, Berlin.
Albrecht von Haller (1708-1777), who wrote in his diary: '[...] the garden means nothing more, the beautiful alabaster statues of the princes of Oranjen are with Mooß overgrow and everything smells like the Prussian government. (transcription Lindeboom 1958); Moved to Berlin by Fredrich Wilhelm I or his son Friedrich II
1713 - 1740
Private collection Friedrich II of Prussia, Sanssouci Palace (Potsdam) / Berlin City Palace / Oranienburg / Honselaarsdijk.
1740 - 1786.
Potsdamer Stadtschloss, Potsdam (Germany).
in the 'Marble Hall' (Hüneke 1991).
- 1945
Special status lost 1945.
Contracted 1646 - 7.
Provenance as above.
Portrait of Willem I 'the Silent' van Oranje-Nassau (1533-1584).
Maurits of Orange Nassau (1567 - 1625).
Information As above
From -
https://rkd.nl/en/explore/portraits/record?query=Fran%C3%A7ois+Dieussart&start=7
_________________________
Christian IV.
Modelled 1643 and cast in 1650.
Bronze.
Rosenborg Castle
François Dieussart, 1661, Flemish sculptor. François
Dieussart was probably trained in Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini's workshop in Rome.
Christian 4. summoned Dieussart in 1643 to Denmark, where he
made several busts of the king (Marble 1644, Bronze 1650, both at
Rosenborg Castle ).
Over the Sealand's port at Kastellet in Copenhagen is his
bronze bust of Frederik 3. (engraved in 1663). These portraits are the first Scandinavian portrait busts in the classical style (check this!).
________________________
Leopold of Austria.
Kunsthistorische Museum, Vienna, Austria.
Inscribed FRCO: DIEUSSART VALLON FECIT 1656.
Image courtesy Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Kunstkammer.
________________________
Princess Sophia (1630 - 1714).
Electress of Hanover.
Mother of George I.
signed FMRF?
1648.
The inscription translates as: The Most Serene Princess
Sophia of the Palatine, Daughter of Frederick King of Bohemia, AD 1648, aged
17.
Granddaughter of James I and youngest child of Elizabeth of
Bohemia, Sophia was brought up at Leiden before moving to her mother's court at
The Hague in 1641. She was tutored in mathematics, law, theology, history and
six languages.
Her prolific correspondence, written in both French and German,
provides a detailed account of court life.
In 1658 she married Ernest Augustus,
and she eventually became the mother of seven children. As the nearest
Protestant claimant to the British throne after Queen Anne, her eldest son
became George I.
Purchased 1967.
The Socle certainly suggest studio of Dieussart.
National Portrait Gallery.
__________________________
Prince Wilhelm Heinrich, Elector of
Brandenburg, (1648-1649),
François Dieussart:
________________________
Frederick Hendrik.
Gothic House, Worlitz.
Private collection Amalia van Solms, The Hague.
Mentioned in the 1654/1668 inventory of her belongings,
under the 'Gemengelde frayicheden.': 'Drij figurines van marber, halflijvig,
van de doorluchtige princen Frederick Willem, cheurvorst van Brandenburg,
Frederick Hendrick end Willem de laetste, de twee leste onsterffelijcker
memorie . ' (Drossaers / Lunsingh Scheurleer 1974-1976, vol. 1, p.258, no. 607)
mentioned in the 1676 boedelscheiding (property settlement) of Amalia van
Solms: 'End eyndtlijk geloot zijnde de albastre halve troniën, soo is te beurt
gevallen as volgth. ' [...] 'De cavel B, zijnde prins Henrick, aan de
hertoghinne van Zimmern.' (Drossaers / Lunsingh Scheurleer 1974-1976, vol 1, p
376, no. 1578)
1654 - 1675 lakes 1654; 1675: year of decease of Amalia van
Solms.
private collection Maria prinses van Oranje-Nassau (hertogin
von Simmern), Kreuznach / Simmern / Turnhout.
inherited from her mother Amalia van Solms (see above).
1676 - 1688 1688: year of death of Maria van Oranje
private collection Henriette Catharina prinses van
Oranje-Nassau (Princess of Anhalt-Dessau), Dessau / Oranienbaum (Germany)
inherited from her sister Mary (Van der Ploeg / Vermeeren
1997); Oranienbaum in Bechmann 1710: 'At the end of the left hand you can still
see a costly grotto, with black and white jambs, also decorated with sepulchres
and other pieces, and so on Bahrein pictures, of which one of Her Highness
Hernn's father Prince Friedrich Heinrichen, the other of Dero's husband, the
third of Dero's brother, Prince Wilhelmina; '
1688 - 1708 1708: year of death of Henriette Catharina
private collection Henriette Agnes prinses of Anhalt-Dessau,
Dessau (Saksen-Anhalt)
Henriette Catharina (Van der Ploeg / Vermeeren 1997)
1708 - 1729 1729: year of decease of Henriette Agnes
private collection Marie Eleonore prinses from Anhalt-Dessau
(hertogin Radziwill), Dessau (Saksen-Anhalt) / Nieborów
possibly since 1729
1729 - 1756 1756: year of death of Marie Eleanor
private collection Leopold III Friedrich Franz Prince and
Duke of Anhalt-Dessau, Dessau (Saksen-Anhalt)
probably purchased from the bequest of his great-aunt Marie
Eleonore
1756 - 1817
Gothic House, Wörlitz, inv./cat.nr II-794
_________________________________
Frederick William van Oranj Nassau.
___________________________
William II.
Private collection Amalia van Solms, The Hague.
mentioned in the 1654/1668 inventory of her belongings,
under the 'Gemengelde frayicheden.': 'Drij figuren van marber, halflijvig, van
de doorluchtige princen Frederick Willem, cheurvorst van Brandenburg, Frederick
Hendrick ende Willem de laetste, de twee leste onsterffelijcker memorie.'
(Drossaers/Lunsingh Scheurleer 1974-1976, vol. 1, p. 258, no. 607) mentioned in
the 1676 boedelscheiding (property settlement) of Amalia van Solms: 'Ende
eyndtlijk geloot zijnde de albastre halve troniën, soo is te beurt gevallen als
volgth.' [...] 'De cavel C, zijnde prins Wullem, aan de vorstinne van Anhalt.'
(Drossaers/Lunsingh Scheurleer 1974-1976, vol. 1, p. 376, no. 1579)
1654 - 1675 seen 1654; 1675: year of decease of Amalia van
Solms
private collection Henriette Catharina prinses van
Oranje-Nassau (Fürstin von Anhalt-Dessau), Dessau/Oranienbaum (Germany)
inherited from her mother Amalia van Solms (see
above);placed in a grotto in the garden of Schloss Oranienbaum, see the
description of Oranienbaum in Bechmann 1710: 'Man siehet auch noch an dem Ende
zur Lincken Hand eine kostbahre Grotte, mit schwarz und weissen Marmel, auch
Seulen und andern Stücken ausgezieret, worunder auch kostbahre Brust-Bilder,
davon das eine von Ihro Hoheit Hernn Vater Prinz Friedrich Heinrichen, das
andere von Dero Herrn Gemahl, das dritte von Dero Herrn Bruder Prinz Wilhelmen
zu sehen
1676 - 1708 1708: year of death of Henriette Catharina
private collection Henriette Agnes prinses von
Anhalt-Dessau, Dessau (Saksen-Anhalt)
possibly in her collection by inheritance from her mother
Henriette Catharina (Van der Ploeg/Vermeeren 1997)
1708 - 1729 1729: year of decease of Henriette Agnes
private collection Marie Eleonore prinses von Anhalt-Dessau
(hertogin Radziwill), Dessau (Saksen-Anhalt)/Nieborów
possibly since 1729 (in the case she inherited the bust from
her sister Henriette Agnes, see Van der Ploeg/Vermeeren 1997)
1729 - 1756 1756: year of death of Marie Eleonore
private collection Leopold III Friedrich Franz Fürst und
Herzog von Anhalt-Dessau, Dessau (Saksen-Anhalt)
probably purchased from the bequest of his great-aunt Marie
Eleonore
1756 - 1817
Gotisches Haus, Wörlitz , inv./cat.nr II-796.
________________________
Drawing.
141 x 114 mm.
Attrib. Rysbrack.
Socle is very close to the standard type used by Dieussart.
Nat Gallery of Scotland
