portrait gallery council of state

portrait gallery as display window 

The series of portraits begins with Prince William of Orange and continues via Kings William I, II and III and Queens Wilhelmina, Juliana and Beatrix through to King Willem-Alexander. The exhibition can be seen in the Council of State's display window along the Parkstraat in The Hague. It is an initiative of the Council of State and the Prince William the First Remembrance Society.

modest (uniform) presentation 

The exhibition is entirely focused on a modest presentation with good legibility, which brings out the best in the busts. The foreground and base of the arrangement constitute a neutral unity with regard to colour and atmosphere, and are entirely executed in warm grey. The sculptures are placed on pedestals that form a single entity with an underlying platform that fulfils both a supporting and connecting function. Depending on the specific dimensions of the portraits, the pedestals are higher or lower and are situated closer or further away from the display window. That means that all the portraits are aligned at the height of the spectator, who is then standing as much as possible eye-to-eye with the different sovereigns.

newly created portraits 

The new portraits of William of Orange and King Willem-Alexander were specially created for the gallery by artist Eric Claus. These busts are arranged so that they are slightly turned towards each other. Together with their similarity in style and execution, this underlines their position as start and end marks in the series, .

bronze sculptures 

The sculptures of the Kings William I, II and III are new bronzes taken from marble portraits, which Claus has also provided with new cut lines that differ from the originals. The portraits of the sovereigns Wilhelmina, Juliana and Beatrix were already part of the Council of State collection.

space as light fitting 

In the lighting plan, two LED lines constitute the general lighting, which gives the exhibition a soft glow and turns the space itself into a fitting, as it were. The spotlights are also LED lamps and are entirely focused on providing beneficial shadows from the various viewpoints. To achieve this effect, many tests were carried out, including tests of the lighting positions and of the colour and temperature of the LED spotlights.

graphic design 

Also taking clarity and legibility as starting points, graphic designer Tessa van der Waals provided the typographical elements in the gallery. On the back wall, in bronze-coloured letters matching the portraits, the Dutch translation has been placed of an originally Latin quotation from William of Orange’s important Council of State speech about the freedom of conscience and religion, held on 31 December 1564:

‘Yet Orange cannot agree that monarchs should rule over the souls of their subjects and take from them their freedom of belief and religion.’ In the same colour, Van der Waals provided the busts with information about the people portrayed and their periods of reign, the makers of the sculptures and the dates of the artworks.