The Prince Willem V Gallery was founded in 1773 as the private picture gallery of Prince Willem V, the Head of State of the United Provinces. The collection includes an interesting selection of 17th century paintings, including examples of the work of Jan Steen, Jacob Jordaens and Paulus Potter. The gallery is laid out in an 18th century cramped ’cabinet’ style, with paintings sandwiched in place from floor to ceiling in a stark contrast to the more airy and modern, spacious fashion of today’s galleries.
