Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis

By Lea van der Vinde, Quentin Buvelot, Petria Noble, Emilie S. Gordenker, Lynn Federle Orr, and Ariane van Suchtelen

Housed in a splendid 17th-century palace in The Hague, the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis holds one of the world’s greatest collections of Dutch Golden Age paintings. Boasting exemplary works by celebrated masters such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer—including his much-loved Girl with a Pearl Earring—this jewel-box museum is a destination for art lovers from across the globe.

Accompanying a rare traveling exhibition of works from the Mauritshuis, this book guides readers through the highlights of the museum’s magnificent collection. A lavish catalogue features 35 masterpieces of portraiture, landscape, genre painting, history painting, and still life, each accompanied by text illuminating its context and significance. Curatorial essays provide an overview of the extraordinary world of the 17th-century Dutch Republic, explore the history and future of the Mauritshuis building and collection, offer an in-depth look at Girl with a Pearl Earring, and chronicle fascinating conservation treatments and technical research undertaken by the museum on behalf of its treasures. Both an engaging introduction for initiates and a stunning resource for devotees, this book invites readers to wander the elegant galleries of the Mauritshuis through the turn of each page, and to discover the sumptuous era of the Dutch Golden Age through each work of art detailed within.

Authors

Lea van der Vinde is curator at the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis. She has published on the collection of the Mauritshuis and contributed to several catalogues accompanying exhibitions on 17th-century Dutch art and culture.

Quentin Buvelot is senior curator at the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis. He has contributed to numerous publications and written extensively on the Mauritshuis collection. He has also organized many exhibitions, including Dutch Portraits: The Age of Rembrandt and Frans Hals (2007).

Petria Noble is head of paintings conservation at the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis. Her research interests center on technical investigation of Rembrandt paintings. She has authored and contributed to many publications.

Emilie S. Gordenker is director of the Royal Picture Gallery Maurtishuis. She specializes in 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings, with a particular focus on the art of Anthony van Dyck. She previously worked as Senior Curator of Early Netherlandish, Dutch, and Flemish Art at the National Galleries of Scotland.

Lynn Federle Orr is a specialist in 17th-century art and culture. She has organized and collaborated on many exhibitions and publications, including the international exhibition The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde ,1860–1900 (2011–2012).

Ariane van Suchtelen is curator at the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis. She has published widely on 16th- and 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings and has organized many exhibitions, including Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age (2009).

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