Some portraits here are of unknown people. The majority, however, are of well-known individuals. Sovereigns were among the first to have themselves painted and their portraits were not only intended to adorn their own walls with. They also served as gifts for relations and subjects, as a means to promote the image of the sovereign up and down the country and beyond. Portraits of famous scholars were copied in the same way, to hand out to admirers throughout Europe. Therefore, not only original paintings, but vast numbers of copies in all sizes and qualities came to be handed down: small and big, simple things or high quality ones made by talented portrait painters. Huis Bergh is the proud owner of a number of such copies and these are of quite reasonable quality.