Jan Mijtens (1614-1670)

Artist Name Jan Mijtens (1614-1670)
Title Portrait of Maria von der Pflaz Queen of Spain
Description This stunning historical oil portrait painting is by noted Dutch Golden Age artist Jan Mijtens. The painting is of Maria Von der Pflaz and her fascinating rise and fall is described below. Painted circa 1660 Maria, who later became Queen of Spain, is portrayed in  her fineary, the silk of her pink dress and gleam of her pearls captured in the detail Mijtens was famous for. A fine historical portrait record of the 17th century. The painting is stunning and is signed lower left.

Maria Von der Pflaz was German royalty and Queen of Spain. Born in 1667 in Benrath Palace in Düsseldorf, she was the third daughter of Elector Palatine Philip William and Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. Upon the death of Marie Louise of Orleans, wife of King Carlos II "The Hexed" of Spain, Maria Anna was chosen as his second wife because of her family's fertility (Carlos was childless) and because her elder sister Eleanore, Holy Roman Empress, would help secure Spain's ties with the Austrian branch of the Habsburgs. They were married by proxy in Ingolstadt on 28 August 1689. Maria Anna did not arrive in Spain until 1690, and they were married in person on 16 May. Maria Anna completely dominated Carlos, who was known for his physical, emotional, and intellectual disabilities. They had no children, probably due to the king's bad health. She constantly locked horns with the king's mother, Mariana of Austria, and involved herself with court politics and intrigues, even her husband's exorcisms. Carlos died on 1 November 1700, and left his widow a yearly allowance. However, his successor, Philip V, refused to pay most of the allowance and banished her from court. Living in Toledo with little money, Maria Anna turned to her family for help, which her brother, Elector Palatine Johan Wilhelm, refused to give, saying her situation was of her own making. She was later expelled from Spain and settled in France, completely forgotten, where she allegedly scandalously married a second time to the son of a barrel-maker. Old and infirm, she was allowed to return to Spain in 1739. Maria Anna settled in the Infantado Palace in Guadalajara, where she died a year later at the age of 72.
Provenance German collection. 
Medium Oil on Panel
Size 13 x 18 inches
Frame Housed in a gilt frame 21 inches by 16 inches and in good condition.
Condition Good condition
Biography Jan Mijtens Dutch Baroque Era Painter (c1614-1670) Johannes Mytens or Jan Mijtens was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Mijtens was born in The Hague. According to Houbraken, Johannes Mijtens was trained by Anthony van Opstal and later by Nicolas van der Horst. Both of his uncles, Isaac Mijtens and Daniël Mijtens, were painters. In 1693 he was a Guild member in the Hague. He was one of the founders of Pictura in 1656, its commissioner in 1659 and its director in 1669. He taught Adriann van der Wiele, Nicolaes Lissant, Andries de Wit, Gerrard de Nyst and Paulus van der Velde. He sometimes interlaced the letter of his first names J A for a monogram which has caused confusion in the past. He was one of the court portraitists in The Hague. They were much influenced by the English manner as expressed by Van Dyck with minimal influence by Rembrandt. His technique was particularly suited to the fine rendering of detail and his paintings are a precious historical record of that period.
Price SOLD
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