The Mauritshuis (, ; ) is an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although ...

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. The museum houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings which consists of 854 objects, mostly

Dutch Golden Age painting Dutch Golden Age painting is the painting of the Dutch Golden Age, a period in Dutch history roughly spanning the 17th century, during and after the later part of the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) for Dutch independence. The new Dutch Republi ...

s. The collection contains works by

Johannes Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , ; see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch ...

Rembrandt van Rijn Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in the h ...

Jan Steen Jan Havickszoon Steen ( – buried 3 February 1679) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century. His works are known for their psychological insight, sense of humour and abundance of colour. Life ...

Paulus Potter Paulus Potter (; 20 November 1625 (baptised) – 17 January 1654 (buried)) was a Dutch painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid sur ...

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, ; ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He lived and worked in Haarlem, a city in which the local authority of the day frowned on religious painting in places of worship but citizens liked to decorate thei ...

Jacob van Ruisdael Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael (; 1629 – 10 March 1682) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher. He is generally considered the pre-eminent landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of great wealth and cultural achie ...

Hans Holbein the Younger Hans Holbein the Younger ( , ; ; – between 7 October and 29 November 1543) was a German-Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He ...

, and others. Originally, the 17th-century building was the residence of Count John Maurice of Nassau. The building is now the property of the government of the Netherlands and is listed in the

top 100 Dutch heritage sites The Top 100 Dutch heritage sites is a list of rijksmonuments in the Netherlands, established in 1990 by the Department for Conservation (Monumentenzorg, today the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed). The Top 100 was a selection of historical mo ...

History

In 1631, John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen, a cousin of

Stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...

Frederick Henry, bought a plot bordering the

Binnenhof The Binnenhof (; ) is a complex of buildings in the city centre of The Hague, Netherlands, next to the Hofvijver (Court Pond). It houses the meeting place of both houses of the States General of the Netherlands, as well as the Ministry of Gener ...

and the adjacent

Hofvijver The Hofvijver (; ) is a small lake in the centre of The Hague, Netherlands. It is adjoined in the east by the Korte Vijverberg road, in the south by the Binnenhof and the Mauritshuis, in the west by the Buitenhof (The Hague), Buitenhof and in th ...

pond in

, at that time the political centre of the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

. Between 1636 and 1641, the Mauritshuis was built on this piece of land, during John Maurice's governorship of

Dutch Brazil Dutch Brazil (; ), also known as New Holland (), was a colony of the Dutch Republic in the northeastern portion of modern-day Brazil, controlled from 1630 to 1654 during Dutch colonization of the Americas. The main cities of the colony were the c ...

. It was built in the Dutch Classicist style by the Dutch architects Jacob van Campen and

Pieter Post Pieter Post in 1651. Portrait by Pieter Nolpe, detail of a larger work Pieter Jansz Post (1 May 1608 – buried 8 May 1669) was a Dutch Golden Age architect, painter and printmaker. Biography Post was baptised in Haarlem, the son of a s ...

. The two-storey building is strictly symmetrical; originally the interior contained four apartments and a great hall. Each apartment was designed with an antechamber, a chamber, a cabinet, and a cloakroom. The building had a

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

, which was destroyed in a fire in 1704. After the death of Prince John Maurice in 1679, the house was owned by the Maes family, who leased the house to the Dutch government. In 1704, most of the interior of the Mauritshuis was destroyed by fire. The building was restored between 1708 and 1718. In 1774, an art gallery open to the public was formed in what is now the Prince William V Gallery. That collection was seized by the French in 1795 and only partially recovered in 1808. The small gallery space soon proved to be too small, however, and in 1820, the Mauritshuis was bought by the Dutch state for the purpose of housing the Royal Cabinet of Paintings. In 1822, the Mauritshuis was opened to the public and housed the Royal Cabinet of Paintings and the Royal Cabinet of Rarities. In 1875, the entire museum became available for paintings. In 1995, the Mauritshuis was established as a non-profit foundation. The foundation set up at that time took charge of both the building and the collection, which it was given on long-term loan. This building, which is the property of the state, continues to be rented by the museum. In 2007, the museum announced its desire to expand. Within three years the definitive design was presented. The museum would occupy a part of the nearby Sociëteit de Witte building. The two buildings would be connected via a tunnel, running underneath the Korte Vijverberg. The renovation started in 2012 and finished in 2014. The design was by Hans van Heeswijk. During the renovation, about 100 of the museum's paintings were displayed in The Hague's Kunstmuseum in the ''Highlights Mauritshuis'' exhibition. About 50 other paintings, including the '' Girl With the Pearl Earring'', went on loan to exhibitions in the United States and Japan. The expanded museum was reopened on 27 June 2014 by King Willem-Alexander. Nando Kasteleijn,
Het Mauritshuis is weer open. Dit moet je weten over het vernieuwde museum
", ''

NRC Handelsblad ''NRC'', previously called ' (), is a daily morning newspaper published in the Netherlands by Mediahuis NRC. It is widely regarded as a newspaper of record in the country. History was first published on 1 October 1970 after a merger of the Amst ...

'', 2014. Retrieved on 28 June 2014.

Controversy over the colonial past of Prince Maurice

In 1664 Prince John Maurice ordered a marble bust portrait of himself for the garden of the Mauritshuis, the Prince's residence in the Hague. The statue was sculpted by the Flemish sculptor Bartholomeus Eggers. Prince Maurice had the bust moved to the burial chamber (Fürstengruft) in

Siegen Siegen () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg (region), Arnsberg region. The university town (n ...

which he had built for himself in 1670. In 1986 a copy of the statue made in plastic was placed inside the Mauritshuis. The bust was removed from the Mauritshuis in 2017 amidst controversy over Holland's colonial history and Prince John Maurice's role in the slave trade. The Mauritshuis museum has denied that the removal had anything to do with the controversy and has stated that the decision was taken on the grounds that the object was solely a copy made of plastic and the museum was unable to offer the necessary historical context for it in the foyer of the Mauritshuis where it was exhibited. The museum has since created a webpage dedicated to explaining the role of the Prince in the creation of the museum's building and collection and the museum's current view of the Prince. The statements on the page highlight the key role the Prince played in the slave trade in Brazil and how his immense wealth was likely sourced (in certain cases even in breach of then existing rules) from his involvement in the slave trade.

Collection

The collection of paintings of stadholder

William V, Prince of Orange William V (Willem Batavus; 8 March 1748 – 9 April 1806) was Prince of Orange and the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. He went into exile to London in 1795. He was furthermore ruler of the Principality of Orange-Nassau until his death in ...

was presented to the Dutch state by his son, King

William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

. This collection formed the basis of the Royal Cabinet of Paintings of around 200 paintings. The collection is currently called the Royal Picture Gallery. The current collection consists of almost 800 paintings and focusses on Dutch and Flemish artists, such as Pieter Brueghel,

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

, and

Rogier van der Weyden Rogier van der Weyden (; 1399 or 140018 June 1464), initially known as Roger de le Pasture (), was an Early Netherlandish painting, early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commis ...

. There are also works of Hans Holbein in the collection in the Mauritshuis.

Selected exhibits

File:Portrait of Johan Maurits (1604-1679), Count of Nassau-Siegen.jpg,

Jan de Baen Jan de Baen (20 February 1633 – 1702) was a Dutch portrait painter who lived during the Dutch Golden Age. He was a pupil of the painter Jacob Adriaensz Backer in Amsterdam from 1645 to 1648. He worked for Charles II of England in his Dutch ex ...

''Prince John Maurice'' (c. 1669) File:Meisje met de parel.jpg,

'' Girl with a Pearl Earring'' (c. 1665) File:Rembrandt - The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp.jpg,

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp ''The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp'' is a 1632 oil painting on canvas by Rembrandt housed in the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, the Netherlands. It was originally created to be displayed by the Surgeons Guild in their meeting room. The p ...

'' (c. 1632) File:Vermeer-view-of-delft.jpg,

'' View of Delft'' (c. 1660) File:Paulus Potter - De Stier.jpg,

'' The Young Bull'' (1647) File:Frans Hals - Lachende jongen.jpg,

'' Laughing Boy'' (c. 1625) File:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 134.jpg,

Self-portrait (1669) File:Jan Baptist Xavery - Bust of William IV, Prince of Orange (cropped).jpg, Jan Baptist Xavery
''Bust of William IV, Prince of Orange'' (1733) File:Peter Paul Rubens - Night Scene - WGA20423.jpg,

''Night scene'' ( 1616/17) File:Hendrick Avercamp 004.jpg,

Hendrick Avercamp Hendrick Avercamp (January 27, 1585 (bapt.) – May 15, 1634 (buried)) was a Dutch painter during the Dutch Golden Age of painting. He was one of the earliest landscape painters of the 17th-century Dutch school, he specialized in painting t ...

''On the ice'' ( 1610) File:Anthony van Dyck - Portrait of Quintijn Symons (1592 - after 1646) - 242 - Mauritshuis.jpg,

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

''Portrait of Quintijn Symons'' (c. 1634) File:Fabritius-vink.jpg,

Carel Fabritius Carel Pietersz. Fabritius (; bapt. 27 February 1622 – 12 October 1654) was a Dutch painter. He was a pupil of Rembrandt and worked in his studio in Amsterdam. Fabritius, who was a member of the Delft School, developed his own artistic style ...

'' The Goldfinch'' (1654) File:Joachim Beuckelaer - Keukenscène met Christus en de Emmaüsgangers.jpg,

Joachim Beuckelaer Joachim Beuckelaer (c. 1533 – c. 1570/4) was a Flemish painter specialising in market and kitchen scenes with elaborate displays of food and household equipment.

''Kitchen scene with Christ and the disciples at Emmaus'' (c. 1563) File:SB 6330-Het Damrak-Het Damrak naar het noorden gezien.jpg,

'' View of the Dam and Damrak at Amsterdam'' (1670s) File:Meindert_Hobbema_-_Wooded_Landscape_with_Cottages_-_1105_-_Mauritshuis.jpg, Meindert Hobbema
''Wooded Landscape with Farmsteads'' (c. 1665)

Administration

The Mauritshuis was a state museum until 1995, when it became an independent foundation. It still continues to receive funding from the Dutch central government. For its estimated budget for 2024, the government provided just under a third (5m Euros) of its total budget of 16m Euros. The Prince William V Gallery is also managed by the organisation. The museum has a staff of around 91 people. Emilie Elise Saskia Gordenker was museum director from 2008 until 2020. Martine Gosselink assumed the directorship in February 2020. Victor Moussault served as deputy director from 2007 until 2016, succeeded by Sander Uitdenbogaard in 2017. In the period 2005 to 2011, the Mauritshuis saw between 205,000 and 262,000 visitors per year.Annual Report 2011
, Mauritshuis. Retrieved on 21 June 2014. In 2011, the museum was the 13th most visited museum in the Netherlands. In 2012, when the museum closed for renovation on 1 April, it received 45,981 visitors. The museum was closed all of 2013 and was reopened on 27 June 2014. It closed for three months in the spring of 2020 in response to the Covid epidemic.

Visitors

References

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control 1822 establishments in the Netherlands Art museums and galleries in the Netherlands Art museums and galleries established in 1822 Buildings of the Dutch Golden Age Houses completed in 1641 Houses in the Netherlands Museums in The Hague National museums of the Netherlands Neoclassical architecture in the Netherlands Palaces in the Netherlands Royal residences in the Netherlands Baroque palaces in the Netherlands 19th-century architecture in the Netherlands Baroque architecture in the Netherlands