1-626-169 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Elizabeth of Bohemia, c1697. Portrait of Elizabeth Stuart (1596-1662), eldest daughter of James I of England and Anne of Denmark. In 1613 she married Frederick V, Elector of the Palatinate, who was briefly King of Bohemia in 1619-1620 (the 'Winter King'). The inscription, in French, is written from Elizabeth's point of view: 'Daughter and wife of kings, without goods and without a crown; I know from my husband the fate too inhuman; Without being moved my father abandons me; But Holland opens to me with her purse and breast.' This is a criticism of her father for abandoning her, and praise for the Netherlands (then the United Provinces) for accepting her and supporting her financially.