Mauritshuis★★★
The Mauritshuis is one of the most intimate and exquisite art museums in the world. In an elegant 17th-century city palace, some of the most famous paintings in art history hang on just two floors — including Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring", Rembrandt's "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp," and Fabritius' "The Goldfinch."
Unlike the large museums in Amsterdam, the Mauritshuis is small and manageable — in 2 hours, you can view each painting at your leisure. The collection comprises around 260 works from the Golden Age, each a masterpiece. The rooms themselves — with original ceiling paintings and wood paneling — are as worth seeing as the art.
The Highlights
- Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring — The "Mona Lisa of the North." The small painting (only 44.5 × 39 cm) has an incredible presence. The turban, the pearl earring, the half-open mouth — a moment captured for eternity.
- Rembrandt's The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp — An early masterpiece: The lesson of the Amsterdam surgeon, surrounded by fascinated colleagues. The lighting is typical Rembrandt.
- Carel Fabritius' The Goldfinch — A tiny painting (33 × 22 cm) that inspired Donna Tartt's bestselling novel. Fabritius was Rembrandt's most talented pupil and died in the Delft gunpowder explosion in 1654 — he was only 32.
- Vermeer's View of Delft — The most famous cityscape in Dutch art. Marcel Proust called the yellow wall piece in the lower right corner "the most beautiful piece of painting in the world."
💡 Tipp
On Thursday evenings, admission to the Mauritshuis is free (6–8 pm). The museum is less crowded then, the atmosphere intimate and special. The best time to gaze into the eyes of the "Girl with a Pearl Earring."
