In Brazil he is so well known that everyone knows who you mean with the name ‘Nassau.’ In the Netherlands he was considered a hero in the seventeenth century, while today his name can be associated with colonialism and slavery. His name is Johan Maurits of Nassau-Siegen (1604-1679), governor of the Dutch colony in Brazil and the man who built the Mauritshuis. This exhibition takes a close look at Johan Maurits’s reputation and examines how his story can be viewed from different perspectives, both present-day and historical.
For more information see the museum’s website.
[Image caption: Jan de Baen (1633-1702), Portrait of Johan Maurits, 1668-1670. Mauritshuis, Den Haag]