Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) shows Rembrandt Masterpiece

Saturday, 23 February 2008 01:56

BOSTON, MA - Portrait of Aeltje Uylenburgh, aged 62  (1632), considered one of the finest Rembrandts in private hands, will be on view for the first time in the United States at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). This masterpiece has been lent by Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo of Naples, Florida, collectors of Dutch and Flemish art. Along with the Rembrandt, they have eight other paintings on loan to the museum, including important works by Hendrick Avercamp, Frans Hals, Adriaen van Ostade, and Gerrit Dou. The Van Otterloos acquired Portrait of Aeltje Uylenburgh, aged 62  in 2005 from a Dutch art dealer, who purchased it in 2000 from the estate of the late Baroness Batsheva de Rothchild, a member of the French arm of the dynastic banking family that had owned the painting for three generations.

This magnificent work by Rembrandt had been on view only in Europe prior to its arrival at the MFA. Portrait of Aeltje Uylenburgh, aged 62  joins five other paintings by the artist in the Museum’s permanent collection.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606–1669), a native of Leiden, The Netherlands, painted Portrait of Aeltje Uylenburgh, aged 62 shortly after he moved to Amsterdam in 1631. It is a striking portrait of the wife of the minister Johannes Sylvius, both of whom were friends of Rembrandt. Aeltje also was the cousin to Rembrandt’s wife-to-be, Saskia, and to the prominent Amsterdam art dealer Hendrick Uylenburgh. The painting depicts an elderly woman with rosy cheeks and warm, brown eyes. At the upper left, Rembrandt has inscribed her age; at the upper right, he has signed and dated the portrait. Aeltje’s traditional cap appears by turns solid and translucent, and a sharp, sinuous brushstroke delineates its edge. The artist has successfully captured the stiffness of his sitter’s starched, white collar as well as the feathering at the neck of her fur-trimmed garment. The oval painting reflects Rembrandt’s familiar use of black-on-black tones.

"The Van Otterloos have been long-standing members and generous supporters of the Museum, and we appreciate the unique opportunity they have given us to display for our visitors many masterpieces from their extraordinary collection," said Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. "We are particularly pleased to be able to introduce Portrait of Aeltje Uylenburgh, aged 62 to America."

In addition to the Rembrandt painting, the Van Otterloos have on loan eight additional Dutch paintings to the Museum, including Winter Landscape with Skaters (about 1610–1615) by Hendrick Avercamp, Portrait of a Preacher (about 1660) by Frans Hals, Peasants in an Interior (about 1660) by Adriaen van Ostade, and Dog at Rest (1650) by Gerrit Dou.

"With this stellar Rembrandt on view, we can trace in our Dutch gallery the artist’s trajectory from his early years in Leiden, to his first works in Amsterdam—where he mostly painted those he knew—to his establishment as the foremost portraitist in the city, all in a few short years," said Ronni Baer (Mrs. Russell W. Baker Senior Curator of Paintings, Art of Europe). "Many of the other works that have come on loan to us from the Van Otterloos are textbook examples by premier Dutch artists, most of whom are not represented in our own collection. The condition and quality are unparalleled and we are fortunate, indeed, to have the opportunity to share such exquisite and important paintings with our visitors."

The collectors have been members of the MFA for more than 20 years, and are Great Benefactors and Director’s Circle Patrons. In addition, Mr. Van Otterloo is on the Art of Europe Visiting Committee, and Mrs. Van Otterloo is on the Conservation Visiting Committee and is an MFA Senior Associate.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is recognized for the quality and scope of its encyclopedic collection, which includes an estimated 450,000 objects. The Museum’s collection is made up of: Art of the Americas; Art of Europe; Contemporary Art; Art of Asia, Oceania, and Africa; Art of the Ancient World; Prints, Drawings, and Photographs; Textile and Fashion Arts; and Musical Instruments.  For general information, visit the MFA website at www.mfa.org  or call 617.267.9300.