The Duchess of Cambridge Visited the Mauritshuis

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161011/427358 )

Emilie Gordenker, Director: 'We are delighted that her Royal Highness paid a visit to the Mauritshuis. It was a very special experience to show her the renowned permanent collection as well as the exhibition.'

The Duchess of Cambridge was received by Emilie Gordenker, who gave her a tour of highlights in the Mauritshuis, which included the Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius, and The Bull by Paulus Potter. The Duchess, who took a degree in art history at the University of St Andrews, is familiar with the collection. She also visited the Art Workshop in the Mauritshuis, where children were engaged in a painting lesson. The programme ended with a visit to the exhibition At Home in Holland.

At Home in Holland: Vermeer and his Contemporaries from theBritish Royal Collection

The exhibition contains works by masters such as Gerard ter Borch, Gerrit Dou, Pieter de Hooch, Gabriël Metsu and Jan Steen, which are regarded as some of the most important Dutch genre paintings in the British Royal Collection. The highlight of the exhibition is 'The Music Lesson' by Johannes Vermeer.

The exhibition introduces the public to the 'genre painting', its many forms and the provocative symbolism it often conceals. These works are stunning in their variety, from simple farmhands gathered in an inn to elegant figures in rich interiors. Some of the everyday scenes carry a deeper, often moralistic meaning, which may be explicit or at times concealed. But in all of them, the artists portrayed the characters and their environments as skilfully as possible, which makes them even more attractive.

Notes to editors:  

Images of the exhibition can be downloaded through this link mauritshuis.nl/pers, please mention the attached credit line: Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016.

The Mauritshuis

The Mauritshuis is home to the best of Dutch painting from the Golden Age. The compact, yet world-renowned collection, is situated in the heart of The Hague in The Netherlands, right next to the government centre. Masterpieces such as Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt, The Goldfinch by Fabritius and The Bull by Potter are on permanent display in the intimate rooms of this seventeenth-century monument. More than two hundred top works from Dutch and Flemish masters are on display in the historic yet intimate interior, with its silken wall covering, sparkling chandeliers and monumental painted ceilings. Genre paintings by Jan Steen, landscapes by Jacob van Ruisdael, still lifes by Adriaen Coorte and portraits by Rubens offer a rich and varied representation of the best of seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish painting.

Royal Collection

The Royal Collection is among the largest and most important art collections in the world, and one of the last great European royal collections to remain intact. It comprises almost all aspects of the fine and decorative arts, and is spread among some 14 royal residences and former residences across the UK, most of which are regularly open to the public. The Royal Collection is held in trust by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as Sovereign.

Explore the Royal Collection at http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection.