In and Out of Storage

 In and Out of Storage
Press kit
Press Preview
Tuesday 2 February 2016
Mauritshuis
Elske Schreurs, Press & Publicity
[email protected]
+31 (0) 70 302 3438 / +31 (0) 6 27033093
Images for the exhibition can be downloaded from our website; please be sure to include the
accompanying credit lines: http://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/press/press-images/tentoonstellingen/
Exhibition: In and Out of Storage
4 February - 8 May 2016
The store rooms of the museum are off limits to the public. This might make you curious. What paintings are stored
there? How did they end up there? Why aren’t they hanging in the museum? And do they really hold unknown treasures,
as is often thought to be the case? The exhibition In and Out of Storage answers these questions and, for the first time,
acquaints visitors with this invisible part of the collection of the Mauritshuis.
Mauritshuis Collection
The collection of the Mauritshuis is not only coherent and manageable in size, but also quite visible. Of the
approximately 850 pieces in the collection, some 250 are on permanent display in the Mauritshuis itself, another 150 are
exhibited in the Prince William V Gallery, and an additional 150 are on long-term loan to museums in the Netherlands
and abroad. Only 300 artworks – not many, in comparison with other collections – are kept in storage. Even so, it’s a pity
that these store-room pieces are seldom if ever on view.
Behind the scenes
Visitors to the exhibition will gain access to the inner workings of the Mauritshuis, where storage - the repository for
items in the collection that for various reasons cannot be displayed to the public – plays a key role. The paintings
selected for this exhibition will illuminate this aspect of museum practice. A representative selection of twenty-five
paintings will be presented in groups. The central question is always: why are those works not on display in the
galleries?
Quality
The Mauritshuis has high standards with regard to the quality of the works exhibited, owing to the limited space in the
museum and the fact that the collection contains so many first-rate pieces. Paintings that would be displayed without a
second thought in other museums are forced to remain in storage, because there’s simply no room for them in the
Mauritshuis. They are often used as spares, the so-called reserve bench; they make an appearance when an artwork in
the permanent display is sent for conservation or given on loan to an exhibition. Some artists are so well represented in
the collection that a choice must be made. A good example is the productive landscape painter Jan van Goyen, by
whom the Mauritshuis owns no fewer than eight works, only one of which is currently considered good enough to hang in
the museum. Five Van Goyens, including the work normally on display, are included in the exhibition, so that visitors
may decide for themselves if they agree with the curator’s choice.
Some paintings never leave storage, because they are hardly worth seeing. In some cases, we don’t even know how
they even came to be in the collection. Now and then a donation or bequest allows a work to slip in that the museum
would really rather not have. An Old Man with Tankard and Pipe by an anonymous Dutch painter of the seventeenth
century was donated in 1906 by the charismatic, but deceitful art dealer Leo Nardus, who probably intended, through
this and other gifts, to build up a good relationship with the Mauritshuis. However, the panel cannot be said to enrich the
collection.
Royal Mistake
Sometimes a celebrated purchase later reveals itself to be a ‘royal’ mistake. In 1821 King William I acquired a collection
for the Royal Cabinet of Paintings Mauritshuis that included works by great masters such as Raphael, Titian and
Velázquez. Unfortunately it turned out to be a collection of inferior works that would quickly be sold on. One of the few
paintings that did remain in the Mauritshuis was a highly optimistic attribution to Raphael. This Female Figure is now
thought to be the work of an anonymous Italian artist and the painting has not left storage for many years. The artwork
had initially been selected for this exhibition to illustrate a low point in our holdings, but it suddenly proved to be much
more interesting than expected. In fact, technical research has shown – to the delight of specialists in this field – that it is
one of the earliest surviving examples of a figure piece on gilt leather.
Misfits
The heart of the Mauritshuis’s collection consists of Dutch and Flemish paintings of the fifteenth through the eighteenth
centuries. Artworks that do not fit into this core area usually remain in storage, even if they are of high quality. This is the
case, for example, with Amor Triumphant by the German painter Friedrich Bury, a beautiful example of early nineteenthcentury classicism. Also, It might come as a surprise to many visiting the exhibition that a piece by the famous American
artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is among the art from the store rooms. It is a portrait of Princess Beatrix, the former
Dutch queen. In 1987, this silk-screen print was hung in the underground entrance lobby. The artwork was not only a
modern way of complying with the practice of hanging a portrait of the ruling monarch in a government building, but also
a reference to the royal provenance of many of the paintings in the museum’s collection. In 2000, a passageway was
created in this place to facilitate the flow of visitors, with the result that the portrait ended up in storage – many years
before the queen’s abdication.
Too Large
The Mauritshuis was built as a private residence, not as a museum. This explains the intimate character of the rooms,
where there is little space for large works. Apart from a few exceptions, such as Paulus Potter’s The Bull, the collection
therefore consists of paintings of modest dimensions. In 1821, however, the museum acquired a monumental still life of
a dead swan by Jan Weenix. At the time, it was praised by the seller as a worthy pendant to The Bull. In those days it
was common to hang paintings close together, arranged according to size. But ideas about presentation have changed
since then, and Weenix’s dead swan has not been on display for some time, owing to lack of space. The Mauritshuis is
therefore looking for another museum that can accommodate this oversized canvas, since it has long been museum
policy to give works on long-term loan to institutions with more suitable places to show them.
Too Many
Not only their format but also their number can influence the decision whether to hang artworks or keep them in storage.
Between 1611 and 1624, the Hague painter Jan van Ravesteyn and his studio produced twenty-four portraits of officers
in the army of the stadholder, Prince Maurits. The series was completed with a twenty-fifth portrait, executed by the
otherwise unknown painter Fransise de Goltz. Since the seventeenth century, the series had hung in Honselaersdijk
Palace, one of the stadholder’s country estates. The portraits ended up – but not all at the same time – at the
Mauritshuis, where they initially lay gathering dust in the attic, until they were rediscovered in 1875. Because there were
so many of them, they have never been exhibited as a series in the Mauritshuis. In the course of the twentieth century, a
number of these portraits were given on long-term loan to other museums and government institutions. Of those
remaining in the Mauritshuis, only two are normally on display. This is regrettable, since there are few surviving
examples of such an extensive portrait series. For the first time since the eighteenth century, all of the officers have been
called up for active duty in ‘Prince Maurits’s army’ – for the duration of the exhibition.
Poor condition
Behind the scenes at the museum, the store rooms are indispensable as a repository of paintings that cannot be shown
to the public for various reasons: because they are totally lacking in quality, for example, or just not quite good enough,
or unsuited to the collection, or too large or too numerous. Another reason for keeping paintings in storage: their poor or
problematic condition, however the store room does not have to be a cul de sac. After restoration, for example, some
paintings can be reinstated at in the permanent presentation.
An example of a painting in poor condition is the Portrait of a Man by the painter Karel Slabbaert of Zeeland. It hung in
less than ideal conditions for many years in the then Dutch East Indies. Among other problems, the extreme climate
caused the painting’s paint layer to crack dramatically. Any restoration of this panel would have had to be quite invasive,
and anyway, there were other priorities, so we decided several years ago only to conserve and not to restore this
painting – at least for the time being.
Front and Back
A masterly example of modern framing techniques has made it possible to put the colourful painting The Baptism of the
Chamberlain of Queen Candace of Ethiopia on display once again. It is painted on a large panel consisting of six
horizontal planks. The wood had warped over time and the panel, which no longer fitted its frame, had been standing on
its side in storage for fifteen years. several years ago, our conservators put it into a new frame with the help of the
Belgian panel expert Jean-Albert Glatigny. How they managed this can be seen at the exhibition, where both front and
back of the panel are visible. Meanwhile we also learned more about the makers of the painting. It used to be attributed
to the German artist Hans Rottenhammer, but it is probably a collaborative work by the Flemish painters Hendrik van
Balen and Jan Brueghel the Younger, in which Van Balen painted the figures and Brueghel executed the landscape.
Surprises
A trawl through the works in storage sometimes even offers up surprises for the curators, who are very familiar with the
collection. Some paintings that were removed from public display and subsequently disappeared from view now appear
to fit in beautifully with the permanent presentation. Imaginary Landscape with Saint John on Patmos, painted by the
Flemish artist Hans Bol in 1564, is thought to be one of the earliest landscapes in large format. With the recent
acquisition of a mountainous landscape by Paul Bril and a flower still life by Ludger tom Ring the Younger, the
Mauritshuis now has more examples of sixteenth-century predecessors of such genres as landscape and still life, which
were to become very popular in the seventeenth century. This led to the decision to frame this exceptional painting by
Hans Bol after all, so after the exhibition it can be returned to the permanent display.
Merry Company in a Park of 1614 by Esaias van de Velde, a painter active in Haarlem, is now also available for a place
in the museum. Its yellowed layer of varnish had made it unfit for display, but its splendid colours and fluent brushwork
are clearly visible again, since its recent restoration. During the restoration, research carried out on the materials and
technique revealed that Esaias van de Velde had made quite a few changes while painting. For example, the old woman
at left, behind the chair, was initially planned as an elegantly dressed young woman, and the standing woman in the
yellow dress was first holding a bird rather than a fan.
Visitors’ Choice
The Mauritshuis has carefully selected fifty-two artworks for the exhibition, but one space will be left vacant when it
opens its doors on 4 February. We are leaving the choice of painting to be taken from storage and displayed in the
empty spot to our visiting public. We will use social media outlets to ask: What would you choose? Which painting do
you think deserves to be brought out of storage?
There will be three rounds of voting, each with a choice of six paintings. The first round will be open until 7 February. The
painting that receives the most votes will be put on display in the exhibition space in mid-February. Voting will continue
and the public will then be able to choose another work to be put on display.. In total there will be three public favourites
on display for the duration of the exhibition (until 8 May). The painting with the most votes overall will take a spot in the
Mauritshuis’s permanent exhibition. Voting can take place via www.mauritshuis.nl/visitors-choice or via the iPad in the
exhibition.
Artworks in the exhibition
1.
Not good enough
Anonymous (Italy)
Female Figure (A goddess?), c.1500-1550?
Oil on leather (later mounted on canvas)
Acquisition, 1821
67.5 x 51.3 cm
Inv.nr. 349
Anonymous (Northern Netherlands)
Simeon and the Christ Child, c.1700
Oil on copper
Provenance unknown, first recorded in 1895
17 x 14 cm
Inv.nr. 229
Anonymous (Northern Netherlands)
Old Man with Tankard and Pipe, c.1660-1670?
Oil on panel
Gift of L. Nardus, Arnouville 1906
31 x 24.5 cm
Inv.nr. 701
2.
Misfits
Bury, Friedrich
Amor Triumphant, in or before 1806
Oil on canvas
Gift of Queen Frederika Louise Wilhelmina, wife of King Willem
I, before 1837
152 x 121 cm
Inv.nr. 272
Tischbein, Johann Friedrich August
Portrait of Frederika Louise Wilhelmina of Prussia (1774-1837),
c.1785-1795
Pastel on paper
Found in the attic of the Mauritshuis, 1841
64.8 x 53.5 cm
Inv.nr. 286
Warhol, Andy
Portrait of Queen Beatrix, 1985
Screen printon paper
LoanFriends of the Mauritshuis Foundation, 1986
100 x 80 cm
Inv.nr. 1080
3.
In poor condition
Balen, Hendrik van & Breughel II, Jan (attributed to)
The Baptism of the Chamberlain of Queen Candace of Ethiopia,
c.1625-1630
Oil on panel
Transferred, 1822
160 x 194 cm
Inv.nr. 282
Slabbaert, Karel
Portrait of a Man, 1653
Oil on panel
Gift of the Council of Indonesia, Batavia, 1916
68.1 x 57.3 cm
Inv.nr. 751
4.
Too large
Weenix, Jan
Dead Swan, c.1700-1719
Oil on canvas
Acquisition, 1821
245.5 x 294 cm
Inv.nr. 206
Bray, Salomon de
Putti Bearing a Cartouche with Stadholder Frederik Hendrik’s
Date of Birth, 1651
Oil on canvas
Found in the attic of the Mauritshuis, 1875
103.5 x 255 cm
Inv.nr. 437
5.
Too many
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, possibly Gaspard de
Coligny (1584-1646), c.1611
Oil on canvas
116.5 x 97 cm
Inv.nr. 139
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1611
Oil on canvas
114,9 x 93.5 cm
Inv.nr. 140
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1611
Oil on canvas
118 x 97 cm
Inv.nr. 141
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1616
Oil on canvas
117 x 97 cm
Inv.nr. 142
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1612
Oil on canvas
117.5 x 96.4 cm
Inv.nr. 143
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, possibly Adolf van
Meetkerken (died 1625), 1611
Oil on canvas
118 x 97.5 cm
Inv.nr. 144
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van and studio
Portrait of an Officer, 1621
Oil on canvas
114.5 x 96.5 cm
Inv.nr. 414
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1624
Oil on canvas
115 x 96.5 cm
Inv.nr. 415
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1611
Oil on canvas
114.6 x 96.5 cm
Inv.nr. 416
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1615
Oil on canvas
114.5 x 96.3 cm
Inv.nr. 417
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of Jan III (1583-1638), Count of
Nassau-Siegen, 1611
Oil on canvas
115 x 97 cm
Inv.nr. 418
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of Nicolaas Schmelzing (1561-1629), 1611
Oil on canvas
115 x 97 cm
Inv.nr. 419
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of Daniel de Hertaing (died in
1626), 1612
Oil on canvas
114.5 x 96,4 cm
Inv.nr. 420
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1612
Oil on canvas
114.8 x 94.4 cm
Inv.nr. 421
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1612
Oil on canvas
115 x 96.5 cm
Inv.nr. 422
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, possibly Anthonis van Utenhoven (died in
1625), 1611
Oil on canvas
113 x 93 cm
Inv.nr. 423
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1615
Oil on canvas
114 x 94 cm
Inv.nr. 424
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1612
Oil on canvas
114.5 x 97.5 cm
Inv.nr. 425
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1611
Oil on canvas
114.7 x 96.5 cm
Inv.nr. 426
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, possibly Johan Wolfert van Brederode
(1599-1655)
Oil on canvas
110 x 92 cm
Inv.nr. 438
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer,
Oil on canvas
110 x 92 cm
Inv.nr. 439
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer, 1621
Oil on canvas
115 x 97 cm
Inv.nr. 455
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer,
Oil on canvas
113 x 90 cm
Inv.nr. 456
Ravesteyn, Jan Anthonisz van (and studio)
Portrait of an Officer,
Oil on canvas
116 x 96.5 cm
Inv.nr. 457
Goltz, Fransise de
Portrait of an Officer, 1613 or 1618
Oil on canvas
Found in the attic of the Mauritshuis, 1875
115.4 x 96.2 cm
Inv.nr. 427
6.
Only the very best
Goyen, Jan van (possibly)
Landscape with Bridge, known as ‘The small
Bridge’, c.1627-1628?
Oil on panel
Acquisition, 1892
36 x 40.5 cm
Inv.nr. 566
Goyen, Jan van
Riverview, c.1644-1648
Oil on panel
Gift of A.S. van den Bergh, The Hague, 1919
37 x 64 cm
Inv.nr. 759
Goyen, Jan van
Estuary with Sailing Boats, 1655
Oil on panel
Bequest of A. Bredius, The Hague, 1946
41.2 x 55.8 cm
Inv.nr. 624
Goyen, Jan van
River View with Church and Farmhouse, 1653
Oil on panel
Gift of the American Friends of the Mauritshuis, 1994
27.5 x 42 cm
Inv.nr. 1100
Goyen, Jan van
Dilapidated Farmhouse with Peasants, 1631
Oil on panel
Gift of S.F. Duin-Priester, Apeldoorn, 1987
40 x 54 cm
Inv.nr. 1081
7.
Sitting on the bench
Beyeren, Abraham van
Flower Still Life with a Timepiece, c.1663-1665
Oil on canvas
Acquisition, 1889
80 x 69 cm
Inv.nr. 548
Master of the Salomon triptych,
Triptych with the Life Story of Solomon, in or after
1521
Oil on panel
Bequest of Jonkheer Jacob de Witte van Citters,
The Hague, 1876
107.5 x 77 cm (middle panel); 107.5 x 32.5 cm
(wings)
Inv.nr. 433
Molenaer, Jan Miense
The Five Senses: Hearing, 1637
Oil on panel
Acquisition, 1893
19.4 x 24.2 cm
Inv.nr. 574
Molenaer, Jan Miense
The Five Senses: Smell, 1637
Oil on panel
Acquisition, 1893
19.5 x 24.3 cm
Inv.nr. 575
Molenaer, Jan Miense
The Five Senses: Touch, 1637
Oil on panel
Acquisition, 1893
19.5 x 24.2 cm
Inv.nr. 572
Molenaer, Jan Miense
The Five Senses: Sight, 1637
Oil on panel
Acquisition, 1893
19.6 x 23.9 cm
Inv.nr. 573
Molenaer, Jan Miense
The Five Senses: Taste, 1637
Oil on panel
Acquisition, 1893
19.6 x 24.1 cm
Inv.nr. 576
8.
Surprises
Bol, Hans
Imaginary Landscape with St. John on Patmos,
1564
Watercolour on canvas
Acquisition with the support of Rembrandt
Association and Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds,
1972
50.5 x 85.5 cm
Inv.nr. 1043
Dusart, Cornelis (& Ostade, Adriaen van?)
Peasant Inn, c.1680-1690
Oil on panel
Acquisition, 1877
40.5 x 49.5 cm
Inv.nr. 440
Pietersz, Pieter
Portrait of a Woman, 1597
Oil on panel
Gift C.W. van Blijenburgh, Hilversum, 1996
42 x cm
Inv.nr. 1109
Pietersz, Pieter
Portrait of a Man, 1597
Oil on panel
Acquisition, 1953
42.5 x cm
Inv.nr. 914
Velde, Esaias van de
Merry Company in a Park, 1614
Oil on panel
Acquisition, 1873
28.5 x 40 cm
Inv.nr. 199
Sponsors
The exhibition is made possible by support of Nationale-Nederlanden, part of NN Group, and the Friends of the
Mauritshuis Foundation.
Credits Exhibition
Exhibition Design
Marcel Schmalgemeijer, Amsterdam
Graphic Design
Mariëlle Tolenaar - studiosap, Amsterdam
Construction
Houtwerk, Beverwijk
Lettering
Riwi Collo Type, Amsterdam
Lighting Advisor
Hans Wolff & Partners, Amsterdam
English Translation
Marije Matthew, Londen
Practical information Mauritshuis
Contact Information
Address
: Mauritshuis, Plein 29, 2511 CS The Hague
Telephone
: +31 (0)70 302 3456
Website
: mauritshuis.nl
E-mail
: [email protected]
Opening hours
Monday
Tuesday through Sunday
Thursday
1 pm-6 pm
10 am-6 pm
10 am-8 pm
Admission
There is no surcharge to our regular admission prices for In and Out of Storage.
Adults
Children (under the age of 19)
Friends of the Mauritshuis
Museum Card*, Rembrandt society, ICOM
€14
free
free
free
E-tickets are available via Mauritshuis.nl.
Exhibition room
In and Out of Storage can be seen from 4 February through 8 May 2016 in the exhibition room on the first floor of our
new wing.
Photography
During the exhibition, it is possible to photograph without flash - just as in the rest of the Mauritshuis. Photography using
tripods or selfie sticks is not allowed.
Exhibition schedule Mauritshuis 2016
Vik Muniz: Verso
9 June to 4 September 2016
The Mauritshuis sheds new light on its collection through a special collaboration with Brazilian artist Vik Muniz. For the
first time in the history of the museum, the Mauritshuis is organising an exhibition entirely of contemporary works of art.
Vik Muniz is a world-renowned artist who works in New York and Rio de Janeiro. Initially a sculptor, Muniz has in time
become increasingly interested in the photographic representations of his work. Using
materials such as sugar, thread, diamonds, chocolate syrup and garbage, Muniz creates
bold, ironic and often deceiving artworks. His film 'Waste Land' won several awards in
2010. His work is featured in collections from leading museums such as MOMA in New
York, The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and Tate in London. The inspiration
for the exhibition at the Mauritshuis are the back sides of the seventeenth-century
paintings in the museum's collection. This creates a delightful connection between the
modern art of Muniz and the world-famous paintings of the Mauritshuis.
Vik Muniz
Photo by Lucas-Blalock Masters of the Everyday: Dutch Artists in the Age of Vermeer
An exhibition from the British Royal Collection
29 September 2016 to 8 January 2017
A royal visit from Great Britain: in the autumn of 2016, the Mauritshuis will exhibit a
selection of seventeenth-century Dutch paintings from the British Royal Collection.
The selection contains representations of daily life as depicted by painters of the
Dutch Golden Age, and offers an exceptional chance to see over twenty
masterpieces from the Royal Collection, the largest loan to a Dutch museum to date.
The Royal Collection, held in trust by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, contains
unique highlights from the oeuvres of famous painters such as Gerard ter Borch,
Pieter de Hooch, Gabriel Metsu, and Jan Steen. The highlight of the exhibition is The
Music Lesson by Johannes Vermeer.
Johannes Vermeer, The Music
Lesson, ca 1662-1665, Royal
Collection Trust / © Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II 2015.