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Notes
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In 1677 William of Orange, 1650–1702, married Mary, the daughter of the future James II of England. Over the following years, Protestant Europe and England looked to William of Orange as their champion. In 1688, English Protestants asked him to invade England to dislodge his father-in-law James II. Since William's principal duty was to the States-General, he needed to obtain their approval to claim the English throne on Mary's behalf. Although the French were ready to do battle on Catholicism's behalf, James did not ally himself with France and he left too late the repealing of Catholic legislation. William thus set to sea and after he landed, on 5 November, James was allowed to escape to France. Although it is unlikely that William ever intended to be more than Mary's regent, she was adamant she did not want to rule alone. Thus, Parliament offered William and Mary joint monarchy in February 1689 and after her death in 1694, William reigned until 1702.
In the foreground preparations for loading up the ships are portrayed. The depiction of the crowd contains closely detailed observations, and the overall scene is one of bustling departure. Although the painting has been attributed to Abraham Storck, it is likely that several hands were involved in its production.
Title
Departure of William III from Hellevoetsluis, 19 October 1688
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 88.9 x W 116.8 cm
Accession number
BHC0325
Work type
Painting
