Portrait collection

Collection

Identifier: ubl683

Scope and Contents

This collection contains more than 35,000 portraits, including hundreds relating to the House of Orange-Nassau (stadtholders, kings, queens and relatives) and over 60 portrait series. The portrayed include mostly famous people from (mainly) Europe. Statesmen, military and artists are prominently represented.

Dates

Creation: 1500-1950

Creator

Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden. Prentenkabinet (Organization)

Language of Materials

Various languages, including Dutch, Latin and French

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is available for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Regulations that apply during the use of these materials can be found on the website of Leiden University Library.

Extent

Ca. 35,000 items

Additional Description

Abstract in Dutch

De collectie portretten bevat ruim 35.000 portretprenten, waaronder honderden met betrekking tot het Huis Oranje-Nassau (stadhouders en vorsten / vorstinnen) en zo’n 60 portretseries. Tot de geportretteerden horen verder alle mensen van naam en faam uit (vooral) Europa. Staatslieden, militairen en kunstenaars zijn prominent vertegenwoordigd. Grote delen van de collectie zijn afkomstig van de verzamelaars, Johannes Bodel Nijenhuis (Nederlanders) en Albertus Welcker (kunstenaarsportretten).

Abstract in English

The portrait collection contains more than 35,000 portraits, including hundreds relating to the House of Orange-Nassau (stadtholders, kings, queens and relatives) and over 60 portrait series. The portrayed include mostly famous people from (mainly) Europe. Statesmen, military and artists are prominently represented. Large parts of the collection come from the collectors, Johannes Bodel Nijenhuis (Dutch) and Albertus Welcker (artists' portraits).

Arrangement

The portraits are mounted and stored in alphabetical order (PT 001-124). The members of the House of Orange-Nassau (Huis van Oranje Nassau I – VII) and portrait series (Portrait series 1-63) are stored separately.

Physical Location

Leiden University Library, Special Collections

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Large parts of the collection come from the collectors Johannes Tiberius Bodel Nijenhuis, who donated his collection by will in 1872, and Albertus Welcker, who donated his reproduction graphic to the Print Room of the Leiden University in April 1957. Other parts come from various, often untraceable sources. In the nineteenth century, portraits were sometimes bought in large quantities from art dealers or at auctions.

Appraisal

The Leiden portrait collection is one of the largest in the country and is of great historical and documentary significance.

Accruals

No accruals expected.

Related Materials

The Portrait collection is closely related to the Albertus Welcker collection (ubl082) and the Johannes Tiberius Bodel Nijenhuis collection (ubl068) as these are the collections where the largest parts originated from. Other portrait collections in the Leiden University Libraries are the Icones Leidenses collection (ubl090), the Portrait collection of the Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde (MNL) (ubl256) and the Portraits of professors collection (ubl125).

Processing Information

These portraits are included in the accompanying inventory. The Singer numbers refer to ‘Hans W. Singer, Allgemeiner Bildniskatalog, 16 volumes, 1930-1936’. A number of portraits of William of Orange (signatures PK-PT-100 till PK-PT-207) are described separately in the online catalog and their images are available via Digital Collections. Portrait series 22, 55, 60 and 62 are currently not found in our collections.