Romeyn de Hooghe. Reception of William III at the Westeynder Bridge, The Hague, from Govert Bidloo, Komste van Koning Willem III / Netherlands, 1691.

Engraver/Artist: Romeyn de Hooghe [Hooge] (Dutch, 1645–1708)
Title: : Inhaling van S.K. Maj. aende Westeynder brug door de E.A. Magistraet van ’s Gravenhage — Reception de sa Majesté au pont du Westende
Date: 1691
Medium & Physical description: Etching and engraving; ink on laid paper; sheet 370 × 472 mm; image within frame 324 × 431 mm; corners replaced; central vertical fold; repaired tears.
From the book: Govert Bidloo. Komste van Zyne Majesteit Willem III. koning van Groot Britanje, enz. in Holland, of, Te omstandelyke beschryving van alles: het welke op des zelfs komste en geduurende zyn verblyf, in's Graavenhaage en elders, ten teeken van vreugde en eere, is opgerecht en voorgevallen / vercierd met kopere platen. The Hague: Arnold Leers, 1691 (HathiTrust).

Inscriptions:
– Title banners:
 Dutch (left): INHALING VAN S.K. MAJ. | aende Westeynder brug | door de E.A. MAGISTRAET | van S GRAVENHAGE. (Reception of His Royal Majesty at the Westeynder Bridge by the Honourable Magistrates of The Hague).
 French (right): RECEPTION DE SA | MAJESTÉ AU | PONT DU WESTENDE (Reception of His Majesty at the Westende Bridge).
– On the arch entablature: OB CIVES SERVATOS (For having saved the citizens) — OB HOSTES FUGATOS (For having put the enemies to flight).

Heraldic and allegorical elements:
At the centre above the arch, a crowned heraldic shield charged with a white stork holding a black eel, the arms of The Hague. The shield is flanked by allegorical figures seated on clouds:
– Left: Female personification holding the fasces, emblem of civic authority and unity.
– Right: Putto holding a balance (libra), symbol of justice and fairness.

Description:
Panoramic ceremonial view of the arrival of William III at the Westeynder Bridge, The Hague, greeted by the magistrates of the city. In the foreground, the king’s carriage approaches amid a throng of mounted guards, footmen, and citizens. The monumental triumphal arch at the entrance to the bridge is surmounted by statuary and the arms of The Hague, with Latin inscriptions on its entablature. In the background, spectators stand along the balustrade of a windmill. The waterway beneath the bridge is frozen, with skaters gliding over the ice and sledges shaped as fantastical birds and imaginary animals carrying passengers. The distant skyline of The Hague is marked by church spires, windmills, and urban rooftops. The print forms part of the illustrated suite by Romeyn de Hooghe for Govert Bidloo’s Komste van Zyne Majesteit Willem III… (The Hague: Arnold Leers, 1691), recording the king’s ceremonial entry into The Hague and other festivities following his accession to the English throne.

Genre: Newsprint (nieuwsprent) — political and historical event print commemorating a royal reception.

References:
– John Landwehr, Romeyn de Hooghe as book illustrator: A bibliography. — Amsterdam: Van Gendt & Co.; New York: Abner Schram, 1970, p. 173, no. 79. Illustrated in Govert Bidloo, Komste van Zyne Majesteit Willem III… (The Hague: Arnold Leers, 1691), facing p. 28. [LIB-2547.2020]
– Metropolitan Museum of Art: Entrance of William III into The Hague (Inhaling van S.K. Maj. aende Westeynder brug door de E.A. Magistraet van s'Gravenhage / Reception de sa Majesté au pont du Westende), from Bidloo, Inkomste van Koning Willem III.
– Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Komste van zyne Majesteit Willem III. Koning van Groot Britanje, enz. in Holland.
– The British Museum: William III arriving in the Hague at the Westeinde; the royal carriage welcomed by officials as a procession approaches the bridge over the frozen canal; coat of arms flanked by Dutch and French title at top; illustration to Govert Bidloo's "Komste van Zyne Majesteit Willem III in Holland" (The Hague: Arnold Leers, 1692). 1691

Contributors: Bidloo, Govert [Govard] (Dutch, 1649–1713) – author Leers, Arnoud (Dutch, 1669–1717) – publisher/printer