Isaac Lodewijk la Fargue van Nieuwland: Two servants (1766)

 

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Two drawings made by the Dutch artist Isaac Lodewijk la Fargue van Nieuwland (1726 – 1805). These two drawings are part of a set that shows various uniforms of the court of Prince William V of Orange, Stadtholder of the United Provinces. These two prints probably show the servants Guan Anthony Sideron (right) and Willem Frederik Cupido (left). Sideron came from Guinea and Cupido came from Curaçao. Both were most likely offered as a present by the Dutch West India Company (W.I.C) to Prince William V. According to letters that have been preserved, both were well-liked by the family of William V. Both received education and eventually became high ranking servants at the court of William V - positions of confidentiality. The two boys also their own servants and gave orders to other (white) servants. Cupido married with Catharina Löwe from Wetzlar in 1802. the couple had several children of which only their daughter Wilhelmina reached adulthood. When Prince William I fled to England in 1795, Cupido and Sideron came along with them. After the death of Cupido, his widow received a pension. Drawings from 1766.