Portrait of Philips Willem (1554-1618), Prince of Orange

Hi everyone! My name is Isabella, and I'm so excited to show you a really cool painting today! It's a portrait of Prince Philips Willem. He was a very important person a long, long time ago! nn

Can anyone guess how old this painting might be? Maybe 100 years old? Maybe 1000? This painting is actually over 400 years old! It's like looking back in time! nn

This painting is pretty small, not as big as a door, but it's still very special. The artist, Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt, painted Prince Philips Willem from his chest up. See how he's looking off to the side? It's like he's looking at something interesting, maybe a bird or a flower! nn

What do you think he's looking at? nn

The Prince has a nice mustache and beard, and his hair is styled in a way that was fashionable back then. He's wearing fancy clothes! Look at his dark jacket, maybe it's velvet, and see the shiny gold on it? And that big, white collar! It's like a beautiful, lacy frame around his face. nn

What do you think the gold on his jacket might be? Maybe it's like sparkly decorations! nn

The artist was really clever with light and shadow. See how some parts of the painting are dark, and some parts are light? That makes the Prince look very real and three-dimensional. The background is dark, so our eyes go straight to the Prince. nn

Can you point to the darkest part of the painting? And the lightest? nn

This painting isn't just a picture; it's a story! It tells us about a prince who lived a long time ago, and it shows us how people dressed and what was important to them. It also shows how talented the artist was! Isn't it amazing that we can see this painting today, after all these years? nn

What do you think this painting tells us about Prince Philips Willem? nn

I hope you enjoyed learning about this amazing portrait! Let's go look at some more art!