Masters of the Everyday: Dutch Artists in the Age of Vermeer

Delightful exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery using the Royal Collection to look at Dutch art of the 17th century and the relationship between the British and Dutch royal families at that time.

There were some beautiful pictures in the show and a few old friends from previous exhibitions. I loved a Rembrandt of an old lady which showed lots of different textures in dark paint and a wonderful studies picture of age. It was a gift to Charles I and the first Rembrandt to leave Holland. Also another Rembrandt of a woman where you felt you could see the starch in her collar!

I also liked a small picture of Charles I and Henrietta Maria with Charles II by Hendrick Pot. The figures were small and exquisite but the composition was rather sparse and open with them an either end of a long table.

There was a useful room to the side which focused on the links between the Houses of Stuart and Orange using portraits prints. I must admit as usual I grasped it at the time but five minutes later had forgotten it again! The other small room looked at drawings from one sale in 1759.

It was well worth taking the audio tour as many of the pictures included musical instruments and there was specially recorded music featuring the same instruments. I always like looking at pictures with music of the same period playing as it gives a rounded view of the culture and influences of the time.

Closes on 14 February 2016.

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