Museum Rotterdam receives a donation of two paintings by 17th-century masters from Rotterdam
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General
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Press
The two acquisitions are a major enrichment of the collection and will soon be given a place in the new museum at Het Steiger.
Museum Rotterdam has received a generous donation from a private collection: the two paintings are by the Rotterdam masters Abraham Hondius and Adriaen Verboom. With these acquisitions, the museum strengthens its collection of 17th-century Rotterdam painting, which forms an important part of the story of the city and its artists.
Hondius’s painting depicts a glowing mythological scene, while Verboom painted a landscape in the warm light of the southern evening. Both works are beautiful examples of the richness and versatility of 17th-century Rotterdam painting.
A special addition to the collection
The painting by Abraham Hondius (Rotterdam c. 1625/30 – London 1691) was already shown in 1994 in the exhibition Rotterdam Masters of the Golden Age. Hondius is mainly known for his lively hunting scenes and animal paintings in warm, vivid colours and with a strong sense of action. The donated painting, Callisto and Arcas, is also particularly special because mythological subjects are rare in his oeuvre. The work depicts a story from the Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid, in which Callisto and her son Arcas are transformed into the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
Great versatility
Liesbeth van der Zeeuw, curator at Museum Rotterdam, is extremely pleased with these acquisitions: “These paintings demonstrate the great versatility and high level of 17th-century Rotterdam painting, and make clear the important role the city played in the art world of that time.”
To further highlight this versatility, Liesbeth has written several blog posts in recent months on themes and subjects that are characteristic of 17th-century painting. The blogs can be found on the museum’s website: Stoomcursus ‘Rotterdamse Oude Meesters’ – Museum Rotterdam
New acquisitions for a new museum
The donation comes at a special moment for Museum Rotterdam. The museum recently received the keys to its new location at Het Steiger. This marks an important next step in the development of Rotterdam’s new city museum, where the city’s heritage will be preserved, shared and brought to life.
In the future, the two paintings will also be included in the collection display in the new museum building. In this way, these new acquisitions connect Rotterdam’s rich history with the future of the museum and the city.
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