Mauritshuis

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Mauritshuis
The Mauritshuis from Hofvijvers seen from

The Mauritshuis is an aristocratic palace built in The Hague , Netherlands , from 1633 to 1644 and has been a museum since 1822, which houses the Royal Picture Gallery. The collection of northern and southern Dutch masterpieces from the 17th century is unique in the world. One of the most famous paintings on display there is The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Jan Vermeer .

building

The Mauritshuis (painting by Bartholomeus van Hove, 1825)

Its namesake, Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen ( Maurits in Dutch ), had the building built right next to the Binnenhof as a residence from 1633 . It was completed on his return as governor of the Dutch colony in Brazil (1636–1644). The palace was designed by the most renowned Dutch architects of their time, Jacob van Campen and his assistant Pieter Post . It is one of the most important examples of the Dutch Classicist style with influences from the Italian Renaissance and has been declared a Rijksmonument .

The original interiors of Johann Moritz were destroyed in a fire in 1704. In 1820 the Dutch state bought the Mauritshuis as the seat of the Royal Picture Gallery. The museum was opened in 1822.

History of the collection

The oldest part of the collection goes back to the collection of the governor Prince Wilhelm V (1748–1806). In 1816 his son, King Wilhelm I (1772–1843) donated the collection to the Dutch state. The collection has grown considerably over the past 200 years. In 1822 it still consisted of 200 paintings, now it comprises 800 paintings. First-class works of Dutch and Flemish painting were acquired with determination. Donations from private individuals were also of inestimable value. The most important patrons included:

  • Arnoldus Andries des Tombe (1818–1902)
  • Abraham Bredius (1855-1946)
  • Sir Henri Deterding (1866-1939)
  • Louise Thurkow-van Huffel (1900–1987)
  • Baron Willem van Dedem (1929-2015)

Renovation work 2012–2014

The Mauritshuis was rebuilt from April 2012 to mid-2014. A selection of around 50 pictures (including the girl with the pearl earring) was on a world tour in Japan and the United States during this time. Around 100 masterpieces were shown in the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag in the exhibition “Meesters uit het Mauritshuis”. The Mauritshuis has been open again since June 27, 2014.

collection

The collection consists of around 800 paintings, 50 miniatures, 20 sculptures as well as drawings and prints. The works on display offer an excellent overview of northern and southern Dutch painting from the 15th to 18th centuries. Among them are masterpieces of the Golden Age . For example, the Mauritshuis has one of the largest and most important collections in the world with 10 paintings by Rembrandt .

  • Jan Vermeer: ​​The Girl with the Pearl Earring (1665)

  • Jan Vermeer: ​​View of Delft (1660/61)

  • Rembrandt van Rijn: The anatomy of Dr. Tulip (1632)

  • Copy of the self-portrait with collar (c. 1629)

  • Frans Hals: Laughing Boy (1627)

  • Hans Holbein the Younger: Portrait of Robert Cheseman (1533)

  • Ambrosius Bosschaert: Flower vase in a window niche (1618)

  • Carel Fabritius: The Goldfinch (1654)

New acquisitions

The following works, among others, have been acquired in the recent past:

1999:

  • Rembrandt van Rijn: Portrait of an Elderly Man (1667) - purchase price 15 million euros

2005:

  • Peter Paul Rubens: Old Woman and Boy with Candle (1616/1617)
  • Jacob von Ruisdael : View of Bentheim Castle (1652–1654)

2008:

particularities

All the paintings in the Mauritshuis are well restored and preserved. The old layers of varnish on the paintings, which are usually very yellowed and dark after 400 years, were removed by the restorers at the Mauritshuis and replaced with a new, transparent varnish. That is why the colors of the pictures are particularly bright.

Directors

literature

  • Foundation of the Friends of the Mauritshuis (ed.): Royal Cabinet of Paintings Mauritshuis - Guide. The Hague 2002.

Web links

Commons : Mauritshuis  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Building on the homepage
  2. ↑ History of the collection on the homepage
  3. ↑ Replacement exhibition of the masters from the Mauritshaus in the Gemeentemuseum The Hague Archived copy ( Memento of the original of March 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mauritshuis.nl
  4. ↑ http://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/press/persarchief/2014/koning-willemalexander-opent-mauritshuis/
  5. ↑ Complete directory of the collection on the homepage
  6. ↑ Report on private patrons on the homepage ( memento of the original from August 23, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mauritshuis.nl
  7. ↑ Report on the restoration of a portrait of Frans Hals  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.mauritshuis.nl  
  8. ^ RKD Artists: Jean Zacharie Mazel (1792-1884)

Coordinates: 52 ° 4 ′ 49.6 "  N , 4 ° 18 ′ 51.9"  E