Museum calls on Dutch government for a $270 million helping hand
The Dutch government is backing an expensive venture by Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum to purchase a $270 million Rembrandt self-portrait.
The painting, known as The Standard Bearer (1636), is one of the last masterpieces by the Dutch artist still in the hands of a private collector.
The artwork is going up for sale by the Rothschild family, who have had the painting in their possession since 1844, after it belonged to the King of England.
Financial pledges have come from The Rembrandt Association, the Rijksmuseum Fund, the Dutch state and the museum’s acquisition fund in order to afford the artwork’s hefty price tag.
According to the Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits, the organisation has been trying to procure the painting for almost five years.
In a statement, the museum said that the 22 works by Rembrandt in the Hague’s collection provide an “overview of the artist’s life,” and that the present work, being “one of the first paintings that Rembrandt made after he established himself as an independent artist in Amsterdam … has so far been the missing link in this overview.”
While the sale has yet to be closed, Dutch officials are already celebrating the new addition to the world-famous collection.
Ingrid van Engelshoven, the Dutch minister of education, culture, and science, said in a statement, “After a journey of centuries, The Standard Bearer is now returning home for good.”
Image credits: Getty Images