Carved in low relief.

Complete with a shagreen leather holder.

…; first recorded in the museum in 1969

Object number: BK-18829

This portrait medallion bears a depiction of Dutch Stadholder William III (also king of England from 1689 on), viewed en profil facing right and readily identifiable by his striking hawk nose, at the age of thirty-six. His name and title are inscribed along the medal’s edge, together with the year in which the medal was struck, 1686. William is dressed in a pseudo-Roman cuirass with a lion’s head adorning the shoulder. An embossed lace cravat encircles the neck. In 1986, Theuerkauff tentatively linked this unsigned carving to Jean Mansel (active c. 1681-1717), a sculptor originating from the French ivory-carving centre of Dieppe.¹¹C. Theuerkauff, Die Bildwerke in Elfenbein des 16-19 Jahrhunderts (Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz: Die Bildwerke der Skulpturengalerie Berlin 2), coll. cat. Berlin 1986, p. 213 (note 6). The identification was later confirmed by Theuerkauff in an oral communication, note RMA. Both the portrait style and the inscription’s letter type correspond exactly to that of portrait medallions signed by the Frenchman. Most similar is a medallion from 1687/88 in the Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht that bears a depiction of Pierre Hermes (d. 1730), mayor of the city of Maastricht, and the monogram I.M.F. (Jean Mansel fecit).²²Maastricht, Bonnefantenmuseum, inv. no. 1110, see E. von Philippovich, Elfenbein, ein Handbuch für Sammler und Liebhaber, Braunschweig 1961, fig. 220. An attribution of the two portrait medallions to the same hand proves well founded, particularly when observing the indisputable parallels between the treatment of the detailing in the men’s clothing – both donning a cravat – and their slightly wavy hair. In both cases, the large, wide-open eyes with deeply drilled pupils create a somewhat caricatural appearance, a recurring stylistic element associated with Mansel’s portraits.

On 2 October 1681, Jean Mansel – a French Huguenot – registered as a citizen in Amsterdam. Thereafter, circa 1687/88, he is documented in the city of Maastricht. There he likely made decorative, hand-carved ivory components – loaders and butt heads – for the luxury pistols manufactured in the city in the second half of the seventeenth century.³³A.A.M.N. Dejong, ‘De ivoorsnijder Jean Mansel’, De Maasgouw 79 (1960), pp. 47-54, esp. p. 53. At some point, Mansel was also probably active in England.⁴⁴For Mansel’s biography see on A.A.M.N. Dejong, ‘De ivoorsnijder Jean Mansel’, De Maasgouw 79 (1960), pp. 47-54 and C. Theuerkauff, Die Bildwerke in Elfenbein des 16-19 Jahrhunderts (Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz: Die Bildwerke der Skulpturengalerie Berlin 2), coll. cat. Berlin 1986, p. 211. Between 1700 and 1703, he returned to France, presumably to his native city of Dieppe. In addition to portrait medallions, Mansel also produced carved reliefs centring on mythological and allegorical themes.⁵⁵Cf. two oval reliefs with Actaeon and Diana and the Lamentation of the Dead Adonis in the Amsterdam Museum, inv. nos. KA 81761 and KA 8177, see M. Jonker et al., In beeld gebracht: Beeldhouwkunst uit de collectie van het Amsterdams Historisch Museum, coll. cat. Amsterdam 1995, nos. 66 and 67.

As Theuerkauff noted, Mansel was greatly influenced by the refined courtly portraiture of his fellow countryman Jean Cavalier (c. 1650/60-1698/99), one of the most successful ivory carvers of his era.⁶⁶C. Theuerkauff, Die Bildwerke in Elfenbein des 16-19 Jahrhunderts (Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz: Die Bildwerke der Skulpturengalerie Berlin 2), coll. cat. Berlin 1986, p. 211. Notably, Mansel’s medallions lack the level of detail, the balanced composition and dignified allure encountered on Cavalier’s portraits. When comparing the present ivory medallion to Cavalier’s two known portraits of the same stadholder (by this time, William III was also king of England) – both dating from 1690/91 and made in London⁷⁷London, Victoria and Albert Museum, inv. no. A.18-1938, see M. Trusted, Baroque & Later Ivories, coll. cat. London (Victoria and Albert Museum) 2013, no. 216; Berlin, Staatliches Museen Berlin, see C. Theuerkauff, Die Bildwerke in Elfenbein des 16-19 Jahrhunderts (Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz: Die Bildwerke der Skulpturengalerie Berlin 2), coll. cat. Berlin 1986, no. 5. – the disparity in quality that distinguishes the two men’s work becomes immediately apparent.

Bieke van der Mark, 2025

J. Leeuwenberg with the assistance of W. Halsema-Kubes, Beeldhouwkunst in het Rijksmuseum, coll. cat. Amsterdam 1973, no. 337; C. Theuerkauff, Die Bildwerke in Elfenbein des 16-19 Jahrhunderts (Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz: Die Bildwerke der Skulpturengalerie Berlin 2), coll. cat. Berlin 1986, pp. 50, 213 (note 6)

B. van der Mark, 2025, 'attributed to Jean Mansel, Portrait Medallion of Stadholder William III (1650-1702), Amsterdam, 1686', in F. Scholten and B. van der Mark (eds.), European Sculpture in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: https://data.rijksmuseum.nl/20035779