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Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Mauritshuis

The Mauritshuis is an art museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The museum houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings which consists of 854 objects, mostly Dutch Golden Age paintings. The collection contains works by Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Steen, Paulus Potter, Frans Hals, Jacob van Ruisdael, Hans Holbein the Younger, and others.

Mauritshuis is definitely a must visit museum in Netherlands. Let us look at the Top 10 fascinating Facts about Mauritshuis.

1. Mauritshuis was the residence of count

John Maurice of Nassau

Mauritshuis. Photo by Mx Lucy. .

In 1631, John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen bought a plot bordering the Binnenhof and the adjacent Hofvijver pond in The Hague. On the plot, the Mauritshuis was built as a home between 1636 and 1641, during John Maurice’s governorship of Dutch Brazil.

After the death of Prince John Maurice in 1679, the house was owned by the Maes family, who leased the house to the Dutch government. The Mauritshuis was bought by the Dutch state for the purpose of housing the Royal Cabinet of Paintings. In 1822, the Mauritshuis was opened to the public and housed the Royal Cabinet of Paintings and the Royal Cabinet of Rarities. In 1875, the entire museum became available for paintings.

2. The museum hosts The Girl With a Pearl Earring

Girl with a Pearl Earring is the main attraction at the Mauritshuis. It is the most famous painting by Vermeer. This enigmatic painting has mystified viewers for centuries and has gone by several names throughout its history. The Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer lived in the 17th century (1632-1675).

He’s known for being a master in the use of light in his paintings. The dimensions of this oil on canvas painting are only 44.5 脳 39 centimeters (17.5 in 脳 15 in). The raw materials for the colors came from Mexico, England, Asia, and the West Indies.

3. It’s believed The Girl With a Pearl Earring is Vermeer’s daughter

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) – The Girl With The Pearl Earring (1665). Photo by Unknown. .

It鈥檚 believed that the painting depicts the daughter of Johannes Vermeer. Maria Vermeer was the eldest of his 10 children.

This suggestion is made because she has a striking resemblance to the girl in some of his other paintings such as 鈥淭he Art of Painting鈥� and 鈥淵oung Woman with a Pearl Necklace. “It has been hanging in the museum since 1902 and gained worldwide attention as it has been featured in various forms of media.

Arnoldus Andries des Tombe purchased the painting at an auction in The Hague in 1881 for 2 Guilders and 30 cents. That鈥檚 the equivalent of about $25-$30 today. Des Tombe died without any heirs, so he decided to donate the painting to the Mauritshuis in The Hague in 1902.

4. Mauritshuis was designed by architect Jacob van Campen

Johan Maurits had his house designed by architect Jacob van Campen, who was assisted by Pieter Post for the interior finishes. Van Campen opted for a design based on Dutch classicism, a building style characterised by the use of elements from classical architecture, such as columns, capitals, cornices and tympanums.

The Mauritshuis is one of the first examples of this architectural style in the Netherlands. The building is free-standing, which allows the symmetry of the four imposing stone fa莽ades to really come into its own. Van Campen would later create a furore with Amsterdam鈥檚 new town hall, today鈥檚 Royal Palace on Dam Square, which is also in the Dutch classicist style.

5. Mauritshuis was once burnt down

After Johan Maurits鈥檚 death, the Mauritshuis continued to be used for guests of the States General. Shortly before Christmas 1704, disaster struck: the negligence of a drunken clerk resulted in a devastating fire.

Extinguishing it was difficult because Hofvijver Pond had frozen. Ultimately only the blackened outer walls were left standing. The then owners decided to rebuild, and the building was restored in fits and starts between 1708 and 1718.

6. The collection at Mauritshuis was brought together by William V

Pieter Claesz (1597-1661) – Still Life with Tazza 1636. Photo by Txllxt TxllxT. .

The core of the current collection of paintings at the Mauritshuis was brought together by stadholder William V. In 1795 his collection was taken to 麻豆APP as spoils of war by French troops and was only returned to The Hague in 1815.

The recovered paintings formed the basis of the Royal Picture Gallery established by King William I in 1816. From 1816 until 1821, the paintings were temporarily housed in their old home, William V鈥檚 former gallery on the Buitenhof. This space quickly became too small for the growing collection, however. The collection was then moved to Mauritshuis.

7. Mauritshuis has ties with slave trade

In 1986 a copy of the statue made in plastic was placed inside the Mauritshuis. The bust was removed from the Mauritshuis in 2017 amidst controversy over Holland’s colonial history and Prince John Maurice’s role in the slave trade.

The Mauritshuis museum has denied that the removal had anything to do with the controversy and has stated that the decision was taken on the grounds that the object was solely a copy made of plastic.

8. The collection consists of over 500 paintings

The collection consists of about 800 paintings, 50 miniatures, 20 sculptures and various drawings and prints. Some of these paintings were once in the possession of Prince Willem V of Orange-Nassau.

In addition to the permanent collection, the Mauritshuis organizes special, temporary exhibitions in the exhibition hall in the Royal Dutch Shell Wing.

9. The collection has paintings done by famous painters

Of the thirty Vermeers known to exist the Mauritshuis has three in its collection: the world famous and widely reproduced Girl with a Pearl Earring, The View of Delft and Diana with the Nymphs.

Among the 16 Rembrandts, there are outstanding works such as the Lesson in Anatomy of Dr. Tulp, David and Saul, The Two African men and three masterful self-portraits. There are also thirteen paintings by Jan Steen, which depict Dutch daily life in the 17th century, as well as the famous painting The Young Bull by Paulus Potter.

10. The museum has a visitor’s program

Portrait of Johan Maurits (1604-1679), Count of Nassau-Siegen. Photo by Jan de Baen.

The museum is developing a diverse program for visitors to immerse themselves in the paintings: from a free multimedia tour to guided tours, from lectures to workshops. Visitors are welcome in the Brasserie for a cup of coffee and can shop in the Museum Shop.