05/05/20 - In the beginning of the 17th century, Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt (Netherlands, 1566-1641) and his atelier painted several portraits of the “Winter Queen”, as Elizabeth Stuart of Bohemia was known. This woman, daughter of King James I of England, married Frederick, ruler of Bohemia in 1613, but due to a rebellion, the couple was deported to The Hague. There, her beauty and English origin rendered her very popular among the nobles of the Netherlands, which might explain why so many portraits of her were painted. Or maybe the Queen was extremely narcissist. 

Portrait of Elizabeth of Bohemia - Atelier of Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt

Technique: oil on board / Measures: 0,51 x 0,63m 

Private collection

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia, The Winter Queen - Atelier of Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt

Sotheby's catalogue 2014

Private Collection
Princess Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia and Electress Palatine - Atelier of Michiel Jansz van Miereveldt (circa 1623)

Technique: oil on board / Measures: 699 mm x 597 mm

National Portrait Gallery,  Londres

Van Mierevelt was one of the main portrait artists around the 1600s in Delft, with many commissioners among the noble families. His skill with the brush and his dedication to details inbrocades and laces gave him recognition in his time, becoming a court painter at the Hague. 

In these three portraits of Elizabeth, the main difference is the absence of the famous Medici pearls in the first one. The necklace, made of six strands of pearls has been a gift of Pope Clement VII to Catalina de Medici, who later gave it to her daughter-in-law Mary, Queen of Scotland. When Mary dies, the necklace is confiscated by Elizabeth I of England, to be then inherited by James, son of Mary and father of Elizabeth of Bohemia, who exhibits it in her portraits. The other differences are for our readers to find...