Netherlands - Document - Zeldzaam huwelijksmedaillon 1577 Eewout Willemsz. Prins & Anna Wittert , Rotterdam - 1577

Extremely rare 16th-century wedding medallion

Miniature portrait with engraved inscription and family crest to commemorate the marriage of Ewout Willemsz. Prins and Anna Wittert on 25 January 1577 in Rotterdam

Eeuwout Willemsz. (Prins), born in Rotterdam, a haringfisherman (herring fisher), died on 31 July 1593, son of Willem Christiaensz. Prins. He married on 25 January 1577 with Anna Wittert from Delfshaven — daughter of Adriaen Dirksz. Wittert and Hadewy Hermansdr. van Kels; she later remarried Guilliaem Schaelckens.

This well-known Rotterdam family lived in the 16th-17th centuries. A prominent early member was Eeuwout Ewoutsz.Prins (ca. 1550–1593), who also worked in the herring fishery. His portrait and the family portrait can be found in the Rotterdam Historical Museum.

In later centuries the family produced several Rotterdam administrators, mayors, and officials of the United East India Company (VOC).
At the end of the 19th century a branch of the family was raised to Dutch nobility under the name "Prins van Westdorpe", with the family crest officially enlarged in 1888. A historical image of this family crest is also in the collection of Museum Rotterdam (see photo 14).

The material is most likely bone; it has yellowed and shows signs of aging cracks, with some discoloration along the edges. The varnish on the exterior is crackled; the leaf gold on the family crest is partly worn away and the blue paint shows pigment loss. On the portrait, some paint has been lost on the chest and chin, though the face, blue eyes, and white collar remain clearly visible.

Above the family crest is the word 'Dolfum' in uppercase. To the left and right of the crest are: 'Ao 1577' — Anno 1577. Under the center of the crest, written in brown ink with elegant, flowing loops, is the name: 'Eeuwout Prins'. Below it, on a second line: 'Anna ...' [the second name is largely illegible due to craquelé, but it concerns 'Anna Wittert']. Underneath is the word 'Rotterdam' clearly legible, accompanied by a large, decorative flourish that serves as a signature. The script is a 16th-century 'kanselarijschrift' (secretary hand), characterized by long loops that extend beneath the text lines.

The small hand-painted family crest is divided into four quarters: I and IV are blue and contain a silver, uprooted dead tree; II and III are gold and each show three black birds (arranged 2 and 1) — possibly gruttos or lapwings. The helm corresponds to a dead tree. In two compartments there are still remnants of gold leaf.

(The family motto reads "More Maiorum": "According to the custom of our forebears." This refers to the later Prins van Westdorpe family, whose crest was officially augmented in 1888.) See the last photo...

The name 'Eeuwout Prins' — which stands under the crest — and his marriage on 25 January 1577 to 'Anna Wittert' are documented in the City Archive Rotterdam, in the Prins family collection. (Archive number 329, inventory number 12)

The Archive of the Wittert van Hoogland family, 1627-1958 ('Family Archive Wittert') is in the collection of the Dutch Council of Noblemen. Original documents relating to the Prins-Wittert couple are not to be found there. But what is found in the archive of Baron Wittert van Hoogland (better known as 'the Red Baron') is a compiled bundle with black-and-white photos of members, relatives, and possessions of the Wittert family... Among them are photos of the front and back of a medallion: the same engraved inscription, crest, and portrait of Eeuwout Prins, which, according to the photos, entirely correspond to this specimen. (photos 7,8,9,10, 22, 23)

The photos are attached in the description. The engraved text is 100% identical; the portraits appear somewhat different but that may be due to the black-and-white photograph and wear. If you look closely at the photos of the engraved text, you can clearly see adhesive residues along the curvature where the cord used to run along the wooden ring that surrounded the medallion. The round cap with velvet has nothing to do with the medallion.

The information has been provided thanks to the City Archives of Rotterdam and Delft, the Dutch Council of Noblemen, Venduehuis Rotterdam, the Rotterdam Historical Museum, various experts, and independent research.