Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS…
Rembrandt Room (Room X)
Amor Victorius
(Room XIV)
Dutch Proverbs
(Room VII)
Fountain of Youth
(Room III)
PRACTICALITIES
Gallery of Paintings
030-266 424 242
Matthäikirchplatz 8
adult/concession €10/5
10am-6pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun, 10am-8pm Thu
M29, M41, 200,
Potsdamer Platz,
Potsdamer Platz
North Wing: Dutch 17th-Century Paintings
The first galleries in the north wing feature some exceptional portraits, most notably Frans
Hals'
Malle Babbe
(1633) in Room XIII. Note how Hals ingeniously captures the character
and vitality of his subject 'Crazy Barbara' with free-wielding brushstrokes. Hals met the wo-
man with the near-demonic laugh in the workhouse for the mentally ill where his son Pieter
was also a resident. The tin mug and owl are symbols of Babbe's fondness for a tipple.
Another eye-catcher is
Woman with a Pearl Necklace
(1662) in Room XVIII, one of the
most famous paintings by Dutch realist Jan Vermeer. It depicts a young woman studying
herself in the mirror while fastening a pearl necklace around her neck, an intimate moment
beautifully captured with characteristic soft brushstrokes.
The real highlight of the north wing awaits in the octagonal Room X, which is dedicated
to Rembrandt and dominated by the large-scale
Mennonite Minister Cornelius Claesz
Anslo
(1641), which shows the preacher in conversation with his wife. The huge open Bible
and his gesturing hand sticking out in almost 3D-style from the centre of the painting are
