D1891. Polychrome Orangist Plate

This tradition reached its height during the third quarter of the eighteenth century when Prince William V was at the crown. William V was the last stadholder of the Dutch Republic. He was unable to prevent the fourth Anglo-Dutch war that resulted in the loss of many of the Dutch colonies. The economic fragility of his reign aroused hostility in the Patriots, a groups of discontented burghers who wished to restore the republic to its former glory. In 1785, an open con ict between the the Orangists and the Patriots forced the Royal Couple to ee The Hague. With the help of Prussian troops, the Prince regained control of the country and restored his authority in 1787.

During the conflicts, the Orangists and the Patriots used the decorative arts as political propaganda. On Delftware, the Patriots depicted William, and his family as wild pigs, trampling over the rights of the Dutch people. Meanwhile, the Orangists called the rebels mad dogs and madmen. Looking at the objects that remain today, it seems that Orangist Delft was the most popular, likely due to Delft being a royalist city. Depictions of William V and symbols of the House of Orange are mostly found on plates.