Willem V (1748-1806), Prince of Orange-Nassau

The artist is unknown, but the armor and command stick were meant to show power—even if Willem’s rule was shaky.

You see a man in shiny metal armor standing by a rock, holding a tall stick in his left hand.

This is Willem V, a Dutch prince painted around 1770. The artist is unknown, but the armor and command stick were meant to show power—even if Willem’s rule was shaky. The painting was made to hang as a pair with another portrait, but that one’s lost to time.

To see more portraits like this, visit the Rijksmuseum.

This portrait depicts Willem V, Prince of Orange-Nassau, in a formal representation created around 1770. The artist remains unidentified.