The Seven Children of the Winterking

Seven young siblings stand together in a golden landscape, their fine robes catching the afternoon light. These are the children of Frederick V, remembered in history as the "Winter King" of Bohemia. His crown slipped away almost as soon as he won it, since his reign lasted only a single winter before exile struck in 1620. Cornelis van Poelenburgh painted this family group around 1630, mixing an honest portrait with a dash of ancient myth. The older boys carry spears and gather beside a pack of hunting dogs, looking less like exiled royalty and more like small classical heroes setting out on an adventure.

Over on the right, the results of the hunt lie in a heap, a fallen deer and a few game birds that lend the scene a proud, storybook mood. Van Poelenburgh built his reputation on delicate little paintings and soft, sunny landscapes he learned to love during his years in Rome. That Italian warmth shows here in the rolling hills, the crumbling ruins perched on a distant peak, and the hazy glow that wraps around everything. For a family stripped of its throne and living far from home, seeing their children dressed as noble young champions in a dreamlike world must have offered a quiet kind of comfort, a reminder of dignity that no exile could take away.