Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Rijksmuseum I

In the 17th century there were more painters in Amsterdam than bakers,* and much of their work, and more,  has come down to the Rijksmuseum. As with the Louvre and a few other places, there is little that is not recognizable, famous, or a masterpiece. Here is a not quite random sample...
You buy your ticket, walk in the door, and there, much
larger than life, in your face, is Bartholomew van der Helst's
Banquet in Celebration of the Treaty of Munster, 1648
















Just a little detail...reflection on the belt buckle of the
captain (fat guy in black on the right)















Anyhow we rushed past the entry stuff and all the rest,
even Vermeer, to see Rembrandt's Night Watch, before the
turbuss onslaught
















And the also celebrated "Meager Company" by Frans Hals
and Pieder Codde; Hals did the left half but was fired and
replaced by Codde
















Judith Lester's Serenade


















Hendrik Avercamp's Winter Landscape with Skaters; there
were so many painters in Amsterdam that they specialized:
Avercamp was the guy to see about skating scenes
















Frans Hals' very famous Merry Drinker


















Hals'equally famous Wedding Portrait














Finally! A portrait of Rembrandt not by
Rembrandt! Jan Lievens' 1629 Portrait



















We fell in love with Jan Steen's moralizing work; here his
Merry Family















And Teaching the Cat to Dance; about noisy
neighbors?







































*This was during the Gluten-Free Wars, however

No comments: