He learned his first brush strokes from his father, before going on to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam. Like his father he painted recent historical events, but he is best known as a portraitist. Pieneman was a good friend of William II of the Netherlands, and they would even walk around exhibitions together, arm in arm. Many members of the royal family invited Pieneman to paint their portrait – he perhaps owed these commissions, in part at least, to his close friendship with the king.
Getting started with the collection: