![\"Simone](\"https:\/\/cdn.tiqets.com\/wordpress\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/15115141\/Banner-Simone-Hollen-1024x293.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n1. Thanks for chatting to us, Simone! Can you tell us a bit more about what you do for the Mauritshuis?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI\u2019ve been the International Sales Manager for the Mauritshuis since 2016, but I\u2019ve actually worked for the museum since 2003 \u2013 always in different functions though. The Mauritshuis is such a beautiful place, and definitely one of the must-sees in the Netherlands<\/a>! I\u2019m really proud to represent it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2.<\/strong> What do you love most about your role?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nWell, I really like being part of the tourism industry. Usually we travel a lot, which is also a fun part of the job \u2013 of course, we haven\u2019t been able to do much traveling over the last year. I also like that part of my job is putting Holland, particularly The Hague, on the international tourism map. I love working with a lot of people and collaborating with other members of the tourism industry. I\u2019m really looking forward to collaborating with people in person again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Can you tell us a bit about the history of the Mauritshuis? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThe Mauritshuis was built in the 17th century and it was commissioned by Johan Maurits, a governor based in Brazil. He had the Mauritshuis built during his governorship in Brazil as his residence in The Hague. Can you imagine that? This beautiful home in the historical heart of The Hague, positioned right next to government buildings!
When he came back from Brazil, he lived in the Mauritshuis for a few years before he moved back to Germany. After that, the Mauritshuis had a few different functions. Then, in the early 18th century, the interior was almost completely burnt down in a fire, and only the outside walls were left standing. The decision was made to maintain the outside structure and redo the interior.
We\u2019re very happy that the administration at the time decided to maintain the outside and renovate the inside! It\u2019s one of the things that\u2019s so interesting about the Mauritshuis: the building is from the 1700s, and the interior is from the 1800s.
It was only in 1822 that it became the museum as we know it today. So next year, we\u2019ll be celebrating 200 years of the Mauritshuis museum!<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.tiqets.com\/wordpress\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/09150809\/Mauritshuis_interieur_05.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n4. That\u2019s quite the anniversary. What celebrations have you got planned?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nWe have a lot of celebrations planned! We\u2019ll stage several temporary exhibitions throughout 2022, starting with our flower still life exhibition \u2013 because celebrations and flowers go hand in hand, of course. Then, we\u2019ll have a summer exhibition with contemporary photographers, and finally an autumn exhibition \u2013 and that will be a surprise!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. So the Mauritshuis only became a museum in 1822, long after Johan Maurits left \u2013 where did the collection come from?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThe collection is now owned by the state, but it was collected by William V. Since 1816, the collection has officially become the property of the Dutch state and is known as the Royal Picture Gallery. So, the collection inside the Mauritshuis and the physical building are both from the 17th century, but they\u2019re not from the same owner!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Back to the exhibitions, will people be able to see your temporary exhibitions with their general entry ticket? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nYes, temporary exhibitions are included in the general admissions ticket. We have temporary exhibitions 2-3 times a year, so most of the time there\u2019s something extra to see! It takes about an hour and a half for both our permanent and our temporary exhibition.
Keep an eye on the website for our family exhibitions as well, for these we open up the workshop area and people can visit with their kids. There\u2019s usually an extra activity for the kids as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. What\u2019s your favourite part of the building? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nOh, that\u2019s a tough one. All the museum rooms are so richly decorated, it\u2019s hard to choose a favourite. I love the first floor in particular, with its beautiful dark-blue, silk wall coverings. Usually you wouldn\u2019t use a blue like that, but it works so well in the museum. The first floor also has these Murano glass chandeliers, which are truly stunning. So, yes I think the downstairs rooms are my favourite!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. An interesting aspect of the Mauritshuis is the more modern painting on the ceiling of the second floor. Can you tell us a bit about that?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nIn the 1980s, the Mauritshuis had a renovation. The then-director held a competition to decide which artist should have the honor of painting the ceiling of the Mauritshuis. Artist Ger Lataster won the competition and was thus commissioned to paint the ceiling.
The painting he created is based on the story of Icarus, a character in Greek mythology whose wings melted when he flew too close to the sun. The reason he chose this story as his inspiration was because he was very modest and when he won the competition he thought \u2018Who am I to paint here, in a building featuring all these Dutch masters?\u2019. It\u2019s a very abstract portrayal of this story. In one part of the ceiling you can see the blue of a workman\u2019s overalls, some glasses, and the red of his jam sandwich. People either love it or hate it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
9. Arguably the most famous painting at the Mauritshuis is The Girl With a Pearl Earring<\/em> \u2013 what makes this Vermeer painting so special?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI think it\u2019s partly because she\u2019s so well known, but there are lots of other reasons! Firstly, the colours in the painting are so limited and yet it\u2019s such a strong image. She\u2019s also dressed very strangely for the 17th century \u2013 they didn\u2019t wear clothes like that back then in the Netherlands. She has this interesting way of looking over her shoulder, which was not a common pose for portraiture. It gives you a strange feeling. I\u2019ve seen some people start crying when they see her, people see very different emotions in the painting. We like to call her the Dutch Mona Lisa \u2013 she\u2019s really an icon!<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Mauritshuis](\"https:\/\/cdn.tiqets.com\/wordpress\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/09151129\/0670.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n10. A lot of paintings have a story behind them \u2013 like how they were acquired or why the artist painted them. Do you have a favourite story behind a painting?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI like the story behind the Girl With a Pearl Earring<\/em>. She was collected by Arnoldus Andries des Tombe in an auction, and he bought the painting for only one euro! At the time, they didn\u2019t know she was a Vermeer painting. You almost can\u2019t believe this world-famous painting was bought here, in The Hague, in the 1800s for just one euro!
I also like that even today, we\u2019re still finding out interesting stories about her. Two years ago, she was in a different room \u2013 the Golden Room \u2013 in a glass cabinet and in this different lighting, we found out that she actually had a green curtain painted behind her. During this period, the conservators also found Vermeer\u2019s signature and they discovered that she initially had eyelashes, they\u2019ve just faded with time. You can find out more about the research project behind this iconic painting in this article on the Mauritshuis website<\/a>.\u00a0
Many of our other paintings have interesting tales behind them so I advise anyone coming here to get the audio guide so that you can fully enjoy the paintings and their history!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
11. The Mauritshuis has some more impressive highlights, like The Goldfinch<\/em>, or The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp<\/em>. But do you have a favourite hidden gem?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s also a tough one\u2026 On the first floor, we have all our early 17th-century Dutch paintings and the Flemish collection, which includes paintings by Brueghel, Rubens and Van Dijk. Then on the top floor, we have four rooms: two rooms dedicated to Rembrandt\u2019s paintings \u2013 one with early paintings and then one with his later paintings, including his last self portrait \u2013 and the room with Paulus Potter\u2019s life-size bull painting, then the Jan Steen room, and finally the Vermeer room which features The Girl with The Pearl Earring<\/em>, of course.
It\u2019s difficult to choose a personal highlight, but my current favourite painting is Flemish painter Clara Peeters\u2019 Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels<\/em>. It\u2019s beautifully conserved, and it\u2019s such a luxurious painting. It\u2019s also so realistic, you could almost touch it. I love the subject too; it\u2019s all these delicious-looking cheeses, and nuts, and bread. I really do love food paintings<\/a>, but this one in particular stands out to me. It\u2019s also incredibly detailed! She even managed to include her own self portrait very subtly; it\u2019s very small on the top of a wine carafe. It\u2019s an amazing artwork!<\/p>\n\n\n
Well, I really like being part of the tourism industry. Usually we travel a lot, which is also a fun part of the job \u2013 of course, we haven\u2019t been able to do much traveling over the last year. I also like that part of my job is putting Holland, particularly The Hague, on the international tourism map. I love working with a lot of people and collaborating with other members of the tourism industry. I\u2019m really looking forward to collaborating with people in person again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Can you tell us a bit about the history of the Mauritshuis? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThe Mauritshuis was built in the 17th century and it was commissioned by Johan Maurits, a governor based in Brazil. He had the Mauritshuis built during his governorship in Brazil as his residence in The Hague. Can you imagine that? This beautiful home in the historical heart of The Hague, positioned right next to government buildings!
When he came back from Brazil, he lived in the Mauritshuis for a few years before he moved back to Germany. After that, the Mauritshuis had a few different functions. Then, in the early 18th century, the interior was almost completely burnt down in a fire, and only the outside walls were left standing. The decision was made to maintain the outside structure and redo the interior.
We\u2019re very happy that the administration at the time decided to maintain the outside and renovate the inside! It\u2019s one of the things that\u2019s so interesting about the Mauritshuis: the building is from the 1700s, and the interior is from the 1800s.
It was only in 1822 that it became the museum as we know it today. So next year, we\u2019ll be celebrating 200 years of the Mauritshuis museum!<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n4. That\u2019s quite the anniversary. What celebrations have you got planned?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nWe have a lot of celebrations planned! We\u2019ll stage several temporary exhibitions throughout 2022, starting with our flower still life exhibition \u2013 because celebrations and flowers go hand in hand, of course. Then, we\u2019ll have a summer exhibition with contemporary photographers, and finally an autumn exhibition \u2013 and that will be a surprise!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. So the Mauritshuis only became a museum in 1822, long after Johan Maurits left \u2013 where did the collection come from?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThe collection is now owned by the state, but it was collected by William V. Since 1816, the collection has officially become the property of the Dutch state and is known as the Royal Picture Gallery. So, the collection inside the Mauritshuis and the physical building are both from the 17th century, but they\u2019re not from the same owner!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Back to the exhibitions, will people be able to see your temporary exhibitions with their general entry ticket? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nYes, temporary exhibitions are included in the general admissions ticket. We have temporary exhibitions 2-3 times a year, so most of the time there\u2019s something extra to see! It takes about an hour and a half for both our permanent and our temporary exhibition.
Keep an eye on the website for our family exhibitions as well, for these we open up the workshop area and people can visit with their kids. There\u2019s usually an extra activity for the kids as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. What\u2019s your favourite part of the building? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nOh, that\u2019s a tough one. All the museum rooms are so richly decorated, it\u2019s hard to choose a favourite. I love the first floor in particular, with its beautiful dark-blue, silk wall coverings. Usually you wouldn\u2019t use a blue like that, but it works so well in the museum. The first floor also has these Murano glass chandeliers, which are truly stunning. So, yes I think the downstairs rooms are my favourite!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. An interesting aspect of the Mauritshuis is the more modern painting on the ceiling of the second floor. Can you tell us a bit about that?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nIn the 1980s, the Mauritshuis had a renovation. The then-director held a competition to decide which artist should have the honor of painting the ceiling of the Mauritshuis. Artist Ger Lataster won the competition and was thus commissioned to paint the ceiling.
The painting he created is based on the story of Icarus, a character in Greek mythology whose wings melted when he flew too close to the sun. The reason he chose this story as his inspiration was because he was very modest and when he won the competition he thought \u2018Who am I to paint here, in a building featuring all these Dutch masters?\u2019. It\u2019s a very abstract portrayal of this story. In one part of the ceiling you can see the blue of a workman\u2019s overalls, some glasses, and the red of his jam sandwich. People either love it or hate it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
9. Arguably the most famous painting at the Mauritshuis is The Girl With a Pearl Earring<\/em> \u2013 what makes this Vermeer painting so special?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI think it\u2019s partly because she\u2019s so well known, but there are lots of other reasons! Firstly, the colours in the painting are so limited and yet it\u2019s such a strong image. She\u2019s also dressed very strangely for the 17th century \u2013 they didn\u2019t wear clothes like that back then in the Netherlands. She has this interesting way of looking over her shoulder, which was not a common pose for portraiture. It gives you a strange feeling. I\u2019ve seen some people start crying when they see her, people see very different emotions in the painting. We like to call her the Dutch Mona Lisa \u2013 she\u2019s really an icon!<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n10. A lot of paintings have a story behind them \u2013 like how they were acquired or why the artist painted them. Do you have a favourite story behind a painting?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI like the story behind the Girl With a Pearl Earring<\/em>. She was collected by Arnoldus Andries des Tombe in an auction, and he bought the painting for only one euro! At the time, they didn\u2019t know she was a Vermeer painting. You almost can\u2019t believe this world-famous painting was bought here, in The Hague, in the 1800s for just one euro!
I also like that even today, we\u2019re still finding out interesting stories about her. Two years ago, she was in a different room \u2013 the Golden Room \u2013 in a glass cabinet and in this different lighting, we found out that she actually had a green curtain painted behind her. During this period, the conservators also found Vermeer\u2019s signature and they discovered that she initially had eyelashes, they\u2019ve just faded with time. You can find out more about the research project behind this iconic painting in this article on the Mauritshuis website<\/a>.\u00a0
Many of our other paintings have interesting tales behind them so I advise anyone coming here to get the audio guide so that you can fully enjoy the paintings and their history!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
11. The Mauritshuis has some more impressive highlights, like The Goldfinch<\/em>, or The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp<\/em>. But do you have a favourite hidden gem?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s also a tough one\u2026 On the first floor, we have all our early 17th-century Dutch paintings and the Flemish collection, which includes paintings by Brueghel, Rubens and Van Dijk. Then on the top floor, we have four rooms: two rooms dedicated to Rembrandt\u2019s paintings \u2013 one with early paintings and then one with his later paintings, including his last self portrait \u2013 and the room with Paulus Potter\u2019s life-size bull painting, then the Jan Steen room, and finally the Vermeer room which features The Girl with The Pearl Earring<\/em>, of course.
It\u2019s difficult to choose a personal highlight, but my current favourite painting is Flemish painter Clara Peeters\u2019 Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels<\/em>. It\u2019s beautifully conserved, and it\u2019s such a luxurious painting. It\u2019s also so realistic, you could almost touch it. I love the subject too; it\u2019s all these delicious-looking cheeses, and nuts, and bread. I really do love food paintings<\/a>, but this one in particular stands out to me. It\u2019s also incredibly detailed! She even managed to include her own self portrait very subtly; it\u2019s very small on the top of a wine carafe. It\u2019s an amazing artwork!<\/p>\n\n\n
When he came back from Brazil, he lived in the Mauritshuis for a few years before he moved back to Germany. After that, the Mauritshuis had a few different functions. Then, in the early 18th century, the interior was almost completely burnt down in a fire, and only the outside walls were left standing. The decision was made to maintain the outside structure and redo the interior.
We\u2019re very happy that the administration at the time decided to maintain the outside and renovate the inside! It\u2019s one of the things that\u2019s so interesting about the Mauritshuis: the building is from the 1700s, and the interior is from the 1800s.
It was only in 1822 that it became the museum as we know it today. So next year, we\u2019ll be celebrating 200 years of the Mauritshuis museum!<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n4. That\u2019s quite the anniversary. What celebrations have you got planned?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nWe have a lot of celebrations planned! We\u2019ll stage several temporary exhibitions throughout 2022, starting with our flower still life exhibition \u2013 because celebrations and flowers go hand in hand, of course. Then, we\u2019ll have a summer exhibition with contemporary photographers, and finally an autumn exhibition \u2013 and that will be a surprise!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. So the Mauritshuis only became a museum in 1822, long after Johan Maurits left \u2013 where did the collection come from?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThe collection is now owned by the state, but it was collected by William V. Since 1816, the collection has officially become the property of the Dutch state and is known as the Royal Picture Gallery. So, the collection inside the Mauritshuis and the physical building are both from the 17th century, but they\u2019re not from the same owner!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Back to the exhibitions, will people be able to see your temporary exhibitions with their general entry ticket? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nYes, temporary exhibitions are included in the general admissions ticket. We have temporary exhibitions 2-3 times a year, so most of the time there\u2019s something extra to see! It takes about an hour and a half for both our permanent and our temporary exhibition.
Keep an eye on the website for our family exhibitions as well, for these we open up the workshop area and people can visit with their kids. There\u2019s usually an extra activity for the kids as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. What\u2019s your favourite part of the building? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nOh, that\u2019s a tough one. All the museum rooms are so richly decorated, it\u2019s hard to choose a favourite. I love the first floor in particular, with its beautiful dark-blue, silk wall coverings. Usually you wouldn\u2019t use a blue like that, but it works so well in the museum. The first floor also has these Murano glass chandeliers, which are truly stunning. So, yes I think the downstairs rooms are my favourite!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. An interesting aspect of the Mauritshuis is the more modern painting on the ceiling of the second floor. Can you tell us a bit about that?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nIn the 1980s, the Mauritshuis had a renovation. The then-director held a competition to decide which artist should have the honor of painting the ceiling of the Mauritshuis. Artist Ger Lataster won the competition and was thus commissioned to paint the ceiling.
The painting he created is based on the story of Icarus, a character in Greek mythology whose wings melted when he flew too close to the sun. The reason he chose this story as his inspiration was because he was very modest and when he won the competition he thought \u2018Who am I to paint here, in a building featuring all these Dutch masters?\u2019. It\u2019s a very abstract portrayal of this story. In one part of the ceiling you can see the blue of a workman\u2019s overalls, some glasses, and the red of his jam sandwich. People either love it or hate it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
9. Arguably the most famous painting at the Mauritshuis is The Girl With a Pearl Earring<\/em> \u2013 what makes this Vermeer painting so special?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI think it\u2019s partly because she\u2019s so well known, but there are lots of other reasons! Firstly, the colours in the painting are so limited and yet it\u2019s such a strong image. She\u2019s also dressed very strangely for the 17th century \u2013 they didn\u2019t wear clothes like that back then in the Netherlands. She has this interesting way of looking over her shoulder, which was not a common pose for portraiture. It gives you a strange feeling. I\u2019ve seen some people start crying when they see her, people see very different emotions in the painting. We like to call her the Dutch Mona Lisa \u2013 she\u2019s really an icon!<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n10. A lot of paintings have a story behind them \u2013 like how they were acquired or why the artist painted them. Do you have a favourite story behind a painting?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI like the story behind the Girl With a Pearl Earring<\/em>. She was collected by Arnoldus Andries des Tombe in an auction, and he bought the painting for only one euro! At the time, they didn\u2019t know she was a Vermeer painting. You almost can\u2019t believe this world-famous painting was bought here, in The Hague, in the 1800s for just one euro!
I also like that even today, we\u2019re still finding out interesting stories about her. Two years ago, she was in a different room \u2013 the Golden Room \u2013 in a glass cabinet and in this different lighting, we found out that she actually had a green curtain painted behind her. During this period, the conservators also found Vermeer\u2019s signature and they discovered that she initially had eyelashes, they\u2019ve just faded with time. You can find out more about the research project behind this iconic painting in this article on the Mauritshuis website<\/a>.\u00a0
Many of our other paintings have interesting tales behind them so I advise anyone coming here to get the audio guide so that you can fully enjoy the paintings and their history!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
11. The Mauritshuis has some more impressive highlights, like The Goldfinch<\/em>, or The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp<\/em>. But do you have a favourite hidden gem?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s also a tough one\u2026 On the first floor, we have all our early 17th-century Dutch paintings and the Flemish collection, which includes paintings by Brueghel, Rubens and Van Dijk. Then on the top floor, we have four rooms: two rooms dedicated to Rembrandt\u2019s paintings \u2013 one with early paintings and then one with his later paintings, including his last self portrait \u2013 and the room with Paulus Potter\u2019s life-size bull painting, then the Jan Steen room, and finally the Vermeer room which features The Girl with The Pearl Earring<\/em>, of course.
It\u2019s difficult to choose a personal highlight, but my current favourite painting is Flemish painter Clara Peeters\u2019 Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels<\/em>. It\u2019s beautifully conserved, and it\u2019s such a luxurious painting. It\u2019s also so realistic, you could almost touch it. I love the subject too; it\u2019s all these delicious-looking cheeses, and nuts, and bread. I really do love food paintings<\/a>, but this one in particular stands out to me. It\u2019s also incredibly detailed! She even managed to include her own self portrait very subtly; it\u2019s very small on the top of a wine carafe. It\u2019s an amazing artwork!<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The collection is now owned by the state, but it was collected by William V. Since 1816, the collection has officially become the property of the Dutch state and is known as the Royal Picture Gallery. So, the collection inside the Mauritshuis and the physical building are both from the 17th century, but they\u2019re not from the same owner!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Back to the exhibitions, will people be able to see your temporary exhibitions with their general entry ticket? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nYes, temporary exhibitions are included in the general admissions ticket. We have temporary exhibitions 2-3 times a year, so most of the time there\u2019s something extra to see! It takes about an hour and a half for both our permanent and our temporary exhibition.
Keep an eye on the website for our family exhibitions as well, for these we open up the workshop area and people can visit with their kids. There\u2019s usually an extra activity for the kids as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. What\u2019s your favourite part of the building? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nOh, that\u2019s a tough one. All the museum rooms are so richly decorated, it\u2019s hard to choose a favourite. I love the first floor in particular, with its beautiful dark-blue, silk wall coverings. Usually you wouldn\u2019t use a blue like that, but it works so well in the museum. The first floor also has these Murano glass chandeliers, which are truly stunning. So, yes I think the downstairs rooms are my favourite!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. An interesting aspect of the Mauritshuis is the more modern painting on the ceiling of the second floor. Can you tell us a bit about that?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nIn the 1980s, the Mauritshuis had a renovation. The then-director held a competition to decide which artist should have the honor of painting the ceiling of the Mauritshuis. Artist Ger Lataster won the competition and was thus commissioned to paint the ceiling.
The painting he created is based on the story of Icarus, a character in Greek mythology whose wings melted when he flew too close to the sun. The reason he chose this story as his inspiration was because he was very modest and when he won the competition he thought \u2018Who am I to paint here, in a building featuring all these Dutch masters?\u2019. It\u2019s a very abstract portrayal of this story. In one part of the ceiling you can see the blue of a workman\u2019s overalls, some glasses, and the red of his jam sandwich. People either love it or hate it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
9. Arguably the most famous painting at the Mauritshuis is The Girl With a Pearl Earring<\/em> \u2013 what makes this Vermeer painting so special?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI think it\u2019s partly because she\u2019s so well known, but there are lots of other reasons! Firstly, the colours in the painting are so limited and yet it\u2019s such a strong image. She\u2019s also dressed very strangely for the 17th century \u2013 they didn\u2019t wear clothes like that back then in the Netherlands. She has this interesting way of looking over her shoulder, which was not a common pose for portraiture. It gives you a strange feeling. I\u2019ve seen some people start crying when they see her, people see very different emotions in the painting. We like to call her the Dutch Mona Lisa \u2013 she\u2019s really an icon!<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n10. A lot of paintings have a story behind them \u2013 like how they were acquired or why the artist painted them. Do you have a favourite story behind a painting?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI like the story behind the Girl With a Pearl Earring<\/em>. She was collected by Arnoldus Andries des Tombe in an auction, and he bought the painting for only one euro! At the time, they didn\u2019t know she was a Vermeer painting. You almost can\u2019t believe this world-famous painting was bought here, in The Hague, in the 1800s for just one euro!
I also like that even today, we\u2019re still finding out interesting stories about her. Two years ago, she was in a different room \u2013 the Golden Room \u2013 in a glass cabinet and in this different lighting, we found out that she actually had a green curtain painted behind her. During this period, the conservators also found Vermeer\u2019s signature and they discovered that she initially had eyelashes, they\u2019ve just faded with time. You can find out more about the research project behind this iconic painting in this article on the Mauritshuis website<\/a>.\u00a0
Many of our other paintings have interesting tales behind them so I advise anyone coming here to get the audio guide so that you can fully enjoy the paintings and their history!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
11. The Mauritshuis has some more impressive highlights, like The Goldfinch<\/em>, or The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp<\/em>. But do you have a favourite hidden gem?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s also a tough one\u2026 On the first floor, we have all our early 17th-century Dutch paintings and the Flemish collection, which includes paintings by Brueghel, Rubens and Van Dijk. Then on the top floor, we have four rooms: two rooms dedicated to Rembrandt\u2019s paintings \u2013 one with early paintings and then one with his later paintings, including his last self portrait \u2013 and the room with Paulus Potter\u2019s life-size bull painting, then the Jan Steen room, and finally the Vermeer room which features The Girl with The Pearl Earring<\/em>, of course.
It\u2019s difficult to choose a personal highlight, but my current favourite painting is Flemish painter Clara Peeters\u2019 Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels<\/em>. It\u2019s beautifully conserved, and it\u2019s such a luxurious painting. It\u2019s also so realistic, you could almost touch it. I love the subject too; it\u2019s all these delicious-looking cheeses, and nuts, and bread. I really do love food paintings<\/a>, but this one in particular stands out to me. It\u2019s also incredibly detailed! She even managed to include her own self portrait very subtly; it\u2019s very small on the top of a wine carafe. It\u2019s an amazing artwork!<\/p>\n\n\n
Keep an eye on the website for our family exhibitions as well, for these we open up the workshop area and people can visit with their kids. There\u2019s usually an extra activity for the kids as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, that\u2019s a tough one. All the museum rooms are so richly decorated, it\u2019s hard to choose a favourite. I love the first floor in particular, with its beautiful dark-blue, silk wall coverings. Usually you wouldn\u2019t use a blue like that, but it works so well in the museum. The first floor also has these Murano glass chandeliers, which are truly stunning. So, yes I think the downstairs rooms are my favourite!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. An interesting aspect of the Mauritshuis is the more modern painting on the ceiling of the second floor. Can you tell us a bit about that?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nIn the 1980s, the Mauritshuis had a renovation. The then-director held a competition to decide which artist should have the honor of painting the ceiling of the Mauritshuis. Artist Ger Lataster won the competition and was thus commissioned to paint the ceiling.
The painting he created is based on the story of Icarus, a character in Greek mythology whose wings melted when he flew too close to the sun. The reason he chose this story as his inspiration was because he was very modest and when he won the competition he thought \u2018Who am I to paint here, in a building featuring all these Dutch masters?\u2019. It\u2019s a very abstract portrayal of this story. In one part of the ceiling you can see the blue of a workman\u2019s overalls, some glasses, and the red of his jam sandwich. People either love it or hate it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
9. Arguably the most famous painting at the Mauritshuis is The Girl With a Pearl Earring<\/em> \u2013 what makes this Vermeer painting so special?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI think it\u2019s partly because she\u2019s so well known, but there are lots of other reasons! Firstly, the colours in the painting are so limited and yet it\u2019s such a strong image. She\u2019s also dressed very strangely for the 17th century \u2013 they didn\u2019t wear clothes like that back then in the Netherlands. She has this interesting way of looking over her shoulder, which was not a common pose for portraiture. It gives you a strange feeling. I\u2019ve seen some people start crying when they see her, people see very different emotions in the painting. We like to call her the Dutch Mona Lisa \u2013 she\u2019s really an icon!<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n10. A lot of paintings have a story behind them \u2013 like how they were acquired or why the artist painted them. Do you have a favourite story behind a painting?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI like the story behind the Girl With a Pearl Earring<\/em>. She was collected by Arnoldus Andries des Tombe in an auction, and he bought the painting for only one euro! At the time, they didn\u2019t know she was a Vermeer painting. You almost can\u2019t believe this world-famous painting was bought here, in The Hague, in the 1800s for just one euro!
I also like that even today, we\u2019re still finding out interesting stories about her. Two years ago, she was in a different room \u2013 the Golden Room \u2013 in a glass cabinet and in this different lighting, we found out that she actually had a green curtain painted behind her. During this period, the conservators also found Vermeer\u2019s signature and they discovered that she initially had eyelashes, they\u2019ve just faded with time. You can find out more about the research project behind this iconic painting in this article on the Mauritshuis website<\/a>.\u00a0
Many of our other paintings have interesting tales behind them so I advise anyone coming here to get the audio guide so that you can fully enjoy the paintings and their history!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
11. The Mauritshuis has some more impressive highlights, like The Goldfinch<\/em>, or The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp<\/em>. But do you have a favourite hidden gem?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s also a tough one\u2026 On the first floor, we have all our early 17th-century Dutch paintings and the Flemish collection, which includes paintings by Brueghel, Rubens and Van Dijk. Then on the top floor, we have four rooms: two rooms dedicated to Rembrandt\u2019s paintings \u2013 one with early paintings and then one with his later paintings, including his last self portrait \u2013 and the room with Paulus Potter\u2019s life-size bull painting, then the Jan Steen room, and finally the Vermeer room which features The Girl with The Pearl Earring<\/em>, of course.
It\u2019s difficult to choose a personal highlight, but my current favourite painting is Flemish painter Clara Peeters\u2019 Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels<\/em>. It\u2019s beautifully conserved, and it\u2019s such a luxurious painting. It\u2019s also so realistic, you could almost touch it. I love the subject too; it\u2019s all these delicious-looking cheeses, and nuts, and bread. I really do love food paintings<\/a>, but this one in particular stands out to me. It\u2019s also incredibly detailed! She even managed to include her own self portrait very subtly; it\u2019s very small on the top of a wine carafe. It\u2019s an amazing artwork!<\/p>\n\n\n
The painting he created is based on the story of Icarus, a character in Greek mythology whose wings melted when he flew too close to the sun. The reason he chose this story as his inspiration was because he was very modest and when he won the competition he thought \u2018Who am I to paint here, in a building featuring all these Dutch masters?\u2019. It\u2019s a very abstract portrayal of this story. In one part of the ceiling you can see the blue of a workman\u2019s overalls, some glasses, and the red of his jam sandwich. People either love it or hate it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think it\u2019s partly because she\u2019s so well known, but there are lots of other reasons! Firstly, the colours in the painting are so limited and yet it\u2019s such a strong image. She\u2019s also dressed very strangely for the 17th century \u2013 they didn\u2019t wear clothes like that back then in the Netherlands. She has this interesting way of looking over her shoulder, which was not a common pose for portraiture. It gives you a strange feeling. I\u2019ve seen some people start crying when they see her, people see very different emotions in the painting. We like to call her the Dutch Mona Lisa \u2013 she\u2019s really an icon!<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n10. A lot of paintings have a story behind them \u2013 like how they were acquired or why the artist painted them. Do you have a favourite story behind a painting?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI like the story behind the Girl With a Pearl Earring<\/em>. She was collected by Arnoldus Andries des Tombe in an auction, and he bought the painting for only one euro! At the time, they didn\u2019t know she was a Vermeer painting. You almost can\u2019t believe this world-famous painting was bought here, in The Hague, in the 1800s for just one euro!
I also like that even today, we\u2019re still finding out interesting stories about her. Two years ago, she was in a different room \u2013 the Golden Room \u2013 in a glass cabinet and in this different lighting, we found out that she actually had a green curtain painted behind her. During this period, the conservators also found Vermeer\u2019s signature and they discovered that she initially had eyelashes, they\u2019ve just faded with time. You can find out more about the research project behind this iconic painting in this article on the Mauritshuis website<\/a>.\u00a0
Many of our other paintings have interesting tales behind them so I advise anyone coming here to get the audio guide so that you can fully enjoy the paintings and their history!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
11. The Mauritshuis has some more impressive highlights, like The Goldfinch<\/em>, or The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp<\/em>. But do you have a favourite hidden gem?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s also a tough one\u2026 On the first floor, we have all our early 17th-century Dutch paintings and the Flemish collection, which includes paintings by Brueghel, Rubens and Van Dijk. Then on the top floor, we have four rooms: two rooms dedicated to Rembrandt\u2019s paintings \u2013 one with early paintings and then one with his later paintings, including his last self portrait \u2013 and the room with Paulus Potter\u2019s life-size bull painting, then the Jan Steen room, and finally the Vermeer room which features The Girl with The Pearl Earring<\/em>, of course.
It\u2019s difficult to choose a personal highlight, but my current favourite painting is Flemish painter Clara Peeters\u2019 Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels<\/em>. It\u2019s beautifully conserved, and it\u2019s such a luxurious painting. It\u2019s also so realistic, you could almost touch it. I love the subject too; it\u2019s all these delicious-looking cheeses, and nuts, and bread. I really do love food paintings<\/a>, but this one in particular stands out to me. It\u2019s also incredibly detailed! She even managed to include her own self portrait very subtly; it\u2019s very small on the top of a wine carafe. It\u2019s an amazing artwork!<\/p>\n\n\n
I also like that even today, we\u2019re still finding out interesting stories about her. Two years ago, she was in a different room \u2013 the Golden Room \u2013 in a glass cabinet and in this different lighting, we found out that she actually had a green curtain painted behind her. During this period, the conservators also found Vermeer\u2019s signature and they discovered that she initially had eyelashes, they\u2019ve just faded with time. You can find out more about the research project behind this iconic painting in this article on the Mauritshuis website<\/a>.\u00a0
Many of our other paintings have interesting tales behind them so I advise anyone coming here to get the audio guide so that you can fully enjoy the paintings and their history!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s also a tough one\u2026 On the first floor, we have all our early 17th-century Dutch paintings and the Flemish collection, which includes paintings by Brueghel, Rubens and Van Dijk. Then on the top floor, we have four rooms: two rooms dedicated to Rembrandt\u2019s paintings \u2013 one with early paintings and then one with his later paintings, including his last self portrait \u2013 and the room with Paulus Potter\u2019s life-size bull painting, then the Jan Steen room, and finally the Vermeer room which features The Girl with The Pearl Earring<\/em>, of course.
It\u2019s difficult to choose a personal highlight, but my current favourite painting is Flemish painter Clara Peeters\u2019 Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels<\/em>. It\u2019s beautifully conserved, and it\u2019s such a luxurious painting. It\u2019s also so realistic, you could almost touch it. I love the subject too; it\u2019s all these delicious-looking cheeses, and nuts, and bread. I really do love food paintings<\/a>, but this one in particular stands out to me. It\u2019s also incredibly detailed! She even managed to include her own self portrait very subtly; it\u2019s very small on the top of a wine carafe. It\u2019s an amazing artwork!<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"Clara](\"https:\/\/cdn.tiqets.com\/wordpress\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/09151151\/1203.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Mauritshuis'](\"https:\/\/cdn.tiqets.com\/wordpress\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/15121621\/Mauritshuis.jpeg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n