William III in English coronation regalia

William III was the first representative of the House of Nassau-Orange to attain the title of king – though not in the Netherlands, in Great Britain. On behalf of the British Parliament, he landed in England with an army as part of the Glorious Revolution and overthrew his father-in-law King James II. The portrait shows William III in a stately pose: with upright posture, his right hand firmly on his hip, his gaze rests confidently on the viewer. In the background part of a column can be seen, and a patch of sun-lit sky. William III wears a splendid brown curly wig and long ermine cape over his royal robe in noble steel-blue and glowing golden orange. Great attention has been paid to the clothing during painting: a lace shawl knotted accurately around the neck, every fine quilting and wide brocade braid and belt are carefully and vividly depicted. William III’s success was short in duration: he died without issue after thirteen years as king, upon which his sister-in-law Anne assumed the throne.