Representing Dutch Sovereignty

An Unknown Painting of a Meeting of the States General in 1608

Abstract

This article introduces a painting that has recently come to light after having remained in private ownership for centuries. It depicts a meeting of the States General in the Statenzaal at the Binnenhof in The Hague. This is of historical significance because, until now, no detailed representations of the interior of the assembly hall of the highest governing body of the Dutch Republic in the seventeenth century were known. Moreover, on the basis of the identification of the figures portrayed – among them stadholder and military commander Maurice of Nassau and all members of the delegation representing the United Provinces at the peace negotiations that would culminate in the Twelve Years’ Truce (1609-1621) – it can be established that the painting depicts a specific moment recorded in the resolutions of the States General. During the session of 4 February 1608, the assembly received news that the Spanish-Habsburg negotiators, led by Ambrogio Spinola, were willing to present themselves before the assembly. This visit, which took place the following day, could be interpreted as a performative confirmation of the Spanish-Habsburg recognition of Dutch sovereignty. The communicative event immortalised by an unidentified painter thus symbolised the emergence of the Netherlands as a sovereign state.