The Threatened Swan

Jan Asselijn, c. 1650

A swan fiercely defends its nest against a dog. In later centuries this scuffle was interpreted as a political allegory: the white swan was thought to symbolize the Dutch statesman Johan de Witt (assassinated in 1672) protecting the country from its enemies. This was the meaning attached to the painting when it became the very first acquisition to enter the Nationale Kunstgalerij (the forerunner of the Rijksmuseum) in 1800.

Artwork typepainting
Object numberSK-A-4
Dimensionsheight 144 cm x width 171 cm
Physical characteristicsoil on canvas

Stories

Political Swan

Swan protects her eggs

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Identification

Title(s)
- The Threatened Swan; Interpreted later as an Allegory on Johan de Witt
- The Threatened Swan
Object type
Object number
SK-A-4
Description
De bedreigde zwaan. Een zwaan verdedigt haar nest met eieren tegen een hond. De voorstelling heeft een politieke allegorische interpretatie gekregen doordat de zwaan is aangeduid als de raadpensionaris Johan de Witt, die Holland beschermt tegen de vijand.
Inscriptions / marks
- signature: ‘JA’
- inscription: ‘de Raad-Pensionaris [onder de zwaan] Holland [op het ei] de viand van de staat [boven de hond]’

Creation

Creation
painter: Jan Asselijn
Dating
c. 1650
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Material and technique

Physical description
oil on canvas
Dimensions
height 144 cm x width 171 cm

This work is about

Person
Subject
Place
Period
1672 - 1678

Acquisition and rights

Acquisition
purchase 1800-06-11
Copyright
Public domain

Documentation

- F. Grijzenhout, 'Tempel voor Nederland : De Nationale Konst-Gallerij in 's-Gravenhage', Nederlands Kunsthistorische Jaarboek 35 (1984), p. 19, afb. 16.
- De inrichting van de Nationale Konst-Gallery in het openingsjaar 1800, uit: Oud Holland, 95, 1981, 4, pagina pp. 170-227 - p. 188, afb. 34(zie: http://www.jstor.org/stable/42711068)
- Inzoomer object op zaal, 2013 (Nederlands/English).