The exhibition At Home in Holland: Vermeer and his Contemporaries from the British Royal Collection was a success, attracting 120,000 visitors. The exhibition,visited by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge in October 2016 included masterpieces by artists such as Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen, Pieter de Hooch and Gerrit Dou.
The exhibition, which was extended until 5 February, introduced 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.
The British Royal Collection is one of the largest and most important collections in the world and one of the last great European royal collections to remain intact.
Image and text: www.mauritshuis.nl
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