Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tional. In the nearby
Samson and Delilah
(1628), Delilah cradles Samson's head in her lap
while silently signaling to a goon to shear Samson's hair, the secret to his strength. A self-
portrait (room X)ofa 28-year-old Rembrandt wearing a beret is paired with the come-hither
1637
Portrait of Hendrickje Stoffels
(the two were romantically linked).
Samson Threatens
His Father-in-Law
(1635)captures the moment just after the mighty Samson (with hisflow-
ing hair, elegant robes, and shaking fist) has been told by his wife's father to take a hike. I
wouldn't want to cross this guy.
Although
Johannes Vermeer
(1632-1675) is today just as admired as Rembrandt, he
was little known in his day, probably because he painted relatively few works for a small
circle of Delft collectors. Vermeer was a master at conveying a complicated story through a
deceptively simple scene with a few poignant details—whether it's a woman reading a let-
ter at a window, a milkmaid pouring milk from a pitcher into a bowl, or (as in
The Glass
of Wine,
room 18) a young man offering a drink to a young lady. The young man had been
playing her some music on his lute (which now sits, discarded, on a chair) and is hoping to
seal the deal with some alcohol. The woman is finishing one glass of wine, and her would-
be suitor stands ready—almost
too
ready—to pour her another. His sly, somewhat smarmy
smirk drives home his high hopes for what will come next. Vermeer has perfectly captured
the exact moment of “Will she or won't she?” The painter offers some clues—the coat of
arms in the window depicts a woman holding onto the reigns of a horse, staying in con-
trol—but ultimately, only he (and the couple) know how this scene will end.
ShiftsouthtoItalian,French,andSpanishpaintingofthe17thand18thcenturies(rooms
XII-XIV/23-28). Venetian cityscapes by Canaletto (who also painted Dresden) and lots of
bombastic BaroquearthanginroomXII.RoomXIIIfeatures big-name Spanishartists Mur-
illo,Zurbarán,andthegreat
DiegoVelázquez
(1599-1660).Hegavethebestofhistalentsto
his portraits, capturing warts-and-all likenesses that are effortlessly real. His 1630
Portrait
of a Lady
conveys the subject's subtle, sly Mona Lisa smile. Her figure and face (against a
dull gray background) are filtered through a pleasant natural light. Notice that if you stand
tooclose,thebrushstrokesgetmuddy—butwhenyoubackup,thescenesnapsintoperfectly
sharp relief.
From here, the collection itself takes a step backwards—into Italian paintings of the
13th-16th centuries (rooms XV-XVIII/29-41). This section includes some lesser-known
works by great Italian Renaissance painters, including Raphael (rooms XVII and 29, includ-
ing five different Madonnas, among them the
Terranuova Madonna
, in a round frame) and
Sandro Botticelli (room VIII).
This gallery features 20th-century art, with ever-changing special exhibits.
