John VII ‘the Middle’ of Nassau-Siegen

The portrait in vertical format shows John VII in court attire in front of a black background. The painter has concentrated on depicting the face and torso. John VII presents himself with upright posture, gazing straight at the viewer. He has roughly shoulder-length brown hair with lighter temples and sports a V-shaped beard with a moustache. In his somewhat stiff-looking anthracite-grey brocade jacket, John VII stretches his arms away from his body, creating even more the impression of a formal stance. The jacket is decorated with rust-red embroidery, with a raised lace collar the colour of a white flower protruding from it. John VII of Nassau-Siegen was regarded as one of the best known military theorists of his time. Shaped by the war against Spain, which had become a family affair, he saw a potential threat from the Spanish troops to the German possessions of the Nassau family, too, leading him to set up the ‘Land Rescue’ (Landrettung), a forerunner of the modern standing army. Following his death, he was interred in St. Nicholas’ Church in Siegen. His remains were not transferred to the Princely Crypt until 1690.