Mauritshuis

I have to admit, I kept pronouncing the name of this gorgeous art museum as Mauritius, like the island nation off the coast of Madagascar! Without getting too complicated, it’s pronounced more-it’s-house, after it’s owner, John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen.

If this invokes images of pirates and buried treasure for you, you sadly have the wrong Nassau in mind. This Nassau refers to the region in Germany which John took his aristocratic title from. He was from House Nassau. Yes, house, just like Game of Thrones!

He built and owned Mauritshuis until his passing in 1679. Years later it was transformed into the gallery which now houses paintings by various Dutch Masters and Golden Age painters including Ruysch, Vermeer, Peeters, Rembrandt, and Oosterwijck. Below is The Night Watch by Rembrandt.

I had the opportunity to visit because of my Aunt River, who had come to visit me in England. When we were planning her trip she told me that she had wanted to see two paintings: Irises by Vincent Van Gogh, and The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer. I think she assumed they would be either in the National Gallery of London or in the Louvre. This is why research is so important! Irises is currently in the J. Paul Getty museum in Los Angeles, California, and The Girl with the Pearl Earring is in the Mauritshuis in The Hague, in the Netherlands. Since we had already planned a trip to France during her visit, we decided a short train ride up to the Netherlands would be worth it to see at least one of her beloved paintings.

I was Aunt River’s tour guide during the majority of the visit, to say the least. It got to the point where if she asked a question, I had to ask her if she really wanted to know the answer. There would be a significant delay in her answer while she thought seriously about the consequences of her question. What can I say? I’m a fountain of historical knowledge. The Mauritshuis flipped our roles.

Aunt River is the art connoisseur of the family, and she knew most of the paintings by name and artist without having to look at the plaque beside them. For her, the museum was a chance to see in person the paintings that she knew and loved, especially The Girl with the Pearl Earring.

I knew the paintings existed, and a few names sprung up that I recognised, but I’m not someone who lives in the world of classical art. She introduced me to the artists, their work, and it was a great chance for me to gain inspiration from them and for Aunt River and I to bond over some of the Netherlands’ most influential pieces of art.

If you are not a fan of paintings, you’ll zing through this museum in no time. It’s not very big, and if you give each piece but a passing glance, you could be in and out in less than half an hour. Aunt River and I spent quite a while discussing what we did or didn’t like, noting how the painter captured the expressions of their subjects, and listening to the audio guide (though that became a bit much for both of us). In general, we took our time, appreciating that we had the chance to see these paintings first hand. We stayed for well over two hours.

I recommend this museum to any artist looking for inspiration, be they painters, sculptors, or writers like myself. The stories behind the art and the museum itself will be sure to shake up your muse!

Are there any art pieces that inspired you to take a trip to go see them? Let me know in the comments!