Art Collections Online

Countess Anna de Hornes was the mother of the celebrated Prince Eugene Alexander, also on display.  Leermans was associated with a group of artists from Leiden who specialized in small-scale, meticulously detailed paintings.  They were called the Leidenfijnschilders (fine painters).  Here he has painted on copper to create a smooth, polished appearance.  Viewers in this pre-photographic era would have been astonished at the perfection of such portraits. In addition to the artist's signature on the pendant to this portrait, both bear later inscriptions recording the sitter's dates.