A few days away in Amsterdam gave us a great opportunity to look at some 'proper' art for a change! We visited two museums, the Van Loon; a traditional family-owned canal house and the Rijksmuseum, the main museum in the city.
The Van Loon house, built in 1671, had artistic connections from the time it was built: its first tennant being Ferdinand Bol, a pupil of Rembrandt. The rooms remain decorated as they were near the end of the eighteenth century. We were delighted to discover that one of the bedrooms was decorated with a sheep print - walls, curtains and bedding. We may give that a try at home! The walls throughout the house are adorned with family portraits, dating from 1600 to the present day, painted by many artists.
In contrast, the Rijksmuseum is a typical large museum with displays of paintings, ceramics, silver and furniture. There were dozens of paintings, some of which we had heard of: The Night Watch by Rembrandt, The Milkmaid by Vermeer, The Toilet by Jan Steen and Portrait of a Young Couple by Frans Hals. Sadly, none of these were for sale, so it's back to the charity shops to find something to fill that gap on the stairs.
Seeing all these original old paintings puts our little collection of prints to shame. Never mind, we like what we have. And besides, The Night Watch is just a bit too big to go through the front door.
Love Your Art,
Vicky and Vince
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