The unveiling of the Portraits of Marten Soolmans and of Oopjen Coppit by Rembrandt

The sale of the Rembrandt work - the twin  Portraits of Marten Soolmans and Portrait of Oopjen Coppit, wife, c 1634, constitutes one of the finest recent acquisitions in fine art through the carefully coordinated sale from Rothschild's banking family to the governments of the Netherlands and France for joint ownership of the masterpiece. The two unseen Rembrandt's were sold for the collective sum of 160m Euro.

The Dutch painter Rembrandt née Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn b.1606 d. 1669 is often considered to be one of the greatest painters in the history of European art. His works coincided with a period of immense prosperity for his homeland, the Netherlands, and together with the collective cultural achievements of his age, the brilliance of Rembrandt is always enjoyed as one of the masters of the Dutch Golden age. Rembrandt shall always be revered for his own unique mastery of colors and composition among the many portraits that he would compose for his patrons. Although Rembrandt would also turn to the subject matter of Biblical themes, it would always be the area of portrait of the human figure that would demonstrate the exquisite touch and palette of the master's hand.

As part of the sales agreement which once saw the governments of the Netherlands and France in heated dispute; the paintings of Marten Soolmans and of Oopjen Coppit, of husband and wife, are to be displayed on an equal basis annually at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Louvre in Paris.

Mariëtte (Jet) Bussemaker, Minister for Education, Culture and Science for the Netherlands, wrote to her government as follows:

“We believe these two rare portraits should always be allowed to be admired together, alternately between the Rijksmuseum and the Louvre, so they are accessible to the broader public, both young and old".

Rembrant Harmenszoon van Rijn c. 1659 National Gallery of Art, Washington.

The move for equality of sharing for public display has been well received by the public at large and for all those who take an interest in the history of European art and it's heritage.

Fine art reviews and education by Pieter Bergli

For my readers that just love a decent cup of the world's most popular beverage with something to read then please turn to my other blog -

http://thegenteelworldofcoffee.blogspot.com/

and of course for lovers of art

https://www.pinterest.com/myartmusings/


and then for readings in history please turn to my first writings on the histories of the Napoleonic military campaigns describing the three most famous battles of the French commander's military career.

http://austerlitz-borodino-waterloo.blogspot.com/ 

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