Silver miniature man with a two-horse team, W. Freen, Dordrecht, 19th century

Silver miniature of a man with a two-horse team, made by the silversmith Willem Freen from Dordrecht. He was active from 1826 to 1898.

Willem Freen was a prominent 19th-century goldsmith and silversmith who lived and worked his entire life in Dordrecht. In Dutch silver history, he is primarily known as the man who continued the tradition of silver professional miniatures at a high level in the 19th century.

Freen established his shop and workshop in the historic heart of the city, on Voorstraat (District D, No. 69). Here he worked for decades as an independent master silversmith. His official master's mark, which he struck on all his pieces, consisted of a hexagon with the letter F and a heart. After his death in 1898, the business continued for a short time.

Although Dordrecht was no longer a major center for miniature silver in the 19th century, Freen managed to carve out a unique niche. On September 6, 1860, he signed a historic contract with the prestigious Amsterdam gold and silver dealer Roelof Citroen (located at the corner of Kalverstraat and Dam Square). Citroen ordered a fixed series of thirteen different silver miniatures. Freen had to deliver these within four weeks for a fixed silver price per lot. This contract proves that Freen produced his miniatures in small series by pre-casting individual components and then manually assembling them into different scenes.

This miniature shows a man, dressed in 18th-century clothing with a cocked hat. He stands on the left side of a rectangular, smooth silver base plate with a finely punched edge. He holds the twisted silver reins of two detailed horses hitched one behind the other (a two-horse team). In his other hand, he holds a long, elegantly curved whip made of silver wire.

From historical documents and contracts (such as the order from gold and silver dealer Roelof Citroen in 1860), we know that Freen's larger commissions featuring horses and carriages (such as his tow carriage with four horses) were the absolute showpieces of his workshop. This two-horse team, in terms of weight, material value, and size, undeniably belongs to that rare top class.

The master's mark of Willem Freen (a hexagon with the letter F and a heart) is struck on the silver base, as is the 19th-century re-assay mark of the dolphin.

The miniature is in good condition.

Weight: 49.1 grams. Dimensions: 3 x 3.5 x 8 cm.