Installation of Dutch " Princess Wilhelmina in mourning" in Ceramic Museum Goedewaagen, NL.
The already unique collection of Rozenburg tile panels and tiles from the Ceramic Museum Goedewaagen was enriched on 1 March with an eye-catcher that invites you to take a closer look. This was immediately clear during school visits by primary school pupils and MBO students. The story of the portrait of the ten-year-old Princess Wilhelmina in mourning, painted by Daniel Harkink (1862-1953) in the last week of August 1891, takes on a special dimension.
King William III died on 23 November 1890. In accordance with the Orange tradition, the whole court went into black mourning for a year and so, at the beginning of 1891, Princess Wilhelmina appeared on a large greeting card by the Hague court photographer Adolphe Zimmermans. Harkink used this photograph very vibrantly on a 90-centimetre high tableau. The Ceramic Museum Goedewaagen has loaned this tile tableau from the Meentwijck Collection.
Textile artist Constance Willems found on closer analysis of the mourning garments on the tableau that the princess wore a knitted upper body and knitted sleeves on her forearms. As a knitting specialist, she reconstructed these pieces of clothing.
On the occasion of her exhibition 'Nederland knit in de keramiek' (The Netherlands knit in ceramics) in the Purmerends Museum, which has now ended, director Saskia van den Berg and a number of employees reconstructed the rest of the clothing on a life size mannequin.
The Purmerends Museum in turn donated this installation to Ceramic Museum Goedewaagen.
constance willems design