JVV 0563
Northern Netherlands, possibly Amsterdam, circa 1750
The six-part blue-and-white tile panel depicts a grenadier of the Dutch States Army with yellow sash and tassel. He wears a tall grenadier's cap depicting a burning grenade and the letter W. In his right hand, he holds a musket with bayonet.
Dimensions: height 39 cm / 15.35 in. (with frame 45 cm / 17.71 in.), width 26 cm / 10.23 in. (with frame 32,5 cm / 12.79 in.)
Similar examples
A similar tile panel showing a grenadier in blue and yellow is in the collection of the National Military Museum in Soest (inv.no 059265). An almost identical specimen is in the Simon van Gijn Museum in Dordrecht (Lunsingh Scheurleer, p. 20, fig. 28). A purple grenadier and a purple and yellow grenadier are in the collection of the Dutch Tile Museum in Otterlo (inv.nos. 01904 and 00711).
Explanatory note
This type of tile panel was only made during a short period, roughly between 1745 and 1751 at the time of the War of the Austrian Succession, which raged from 1740 to 1748. The Dutch republic became involved in this war and was attacked by French troops occupying Bergen op Zoom and Maastricht in 1747. Prince William IV was already Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe and Overijsel, but due to the panic caused by the French invasion, he was appointed hereditary Stadtholder of the entire Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (commonly known as the Dutch Republic or Northern Netherlands).
Tile panels depicting grenadiers were marketed during this critical period for the republic and were in great demand. The grenadiers' caps often featured the letter “W” for Prince Willem IV or his initials “WKHF” for Willem Karel Hendrik Friso.
In particular, the tile panels seem to be a Rotterdam product, recognisable by the way the ground on which the grenadiers stand and the clouds are painted. The Rotterdam tile factories also marketed tile panels and large plaques depicting Prince William IV and his spouse Anna of Hanover during this period. The well-known Rotterdam panels with grenadiers are of a lesser quality than this one, which is a possible indication of a different centre of production.
Literature
D.F. Lunsingh Scheurleer, Tegels en tegeltableaus in het Museum Mr. Simon van Gijn te Dordrecht, Dordrecht 1986
