Student Blog: Mauritshuis

​Goedendag (good day) from The Hague! After interning at the Brooklyn Museum in the fall, I moved to the Netherlands in early January to spend nine months as the Fulbright/American Friends of the Mauritshuis intern at the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis. I am excited to complete this last portion of my third year immersed in one of the finest collections of seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish paintings in the world, including works such as Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring, Paulus Potter's The Bull, and Rembrandt's Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (to name just a few highlights). This Fulbright research award is also affiliated with the graduate conservation training program at the University of Amsterdam, where I have been able to join hands-on workshops and connect with an international group of paintings conservation students. 

My main project at the Mauritshuis is the treatment and technical analysis of a Dutch flower still life painting by Balthasar van der Ast: Flowers in a Wan-Li Vase, oil on panel, ca. 1624. Reflecting the growing botanical interests in the sixteenth century, this painted bouquet depicts naturalistically rendered flowers in an otherwise impossible arrangement. The exotic array of flowers bloom at different times: tulips, irises, roses, forget-me-nots, a daffodil, a French marigold, and many more. I am currently removing several layers of discolored varnish and past retouching from the painting's surface, revealing the rich colors of the flowers. Even while museums remained closed in the Netherlands, I have had the opportunity to do some primary research related to my painting. When tulips were in bloom at the end of April, I visited the family farm of Jolijn Schilder, my fellow paintings conservation intern at the Mauritshuis, who is currently finishing her graduate degree at the University of Amsterdam. Experiencing firsthand the beauty of so many varieties and colors of tulips made it easier to understand the so-called tulipomania that led to a boom in the tulip market in the sixteenth-century Dutch Republic.  

​During my internship, I have also been involved in analytical research for the Mauritshuis's upcoming catalogue of still life paintings. The conservators are writing technical descriptions for each still life in the collection (including over seventy-five paintings!), summarizing the layers, materials, and techniques. I have been able to carry out comparative research related to my main treatment project though the examination of three other still life paintings by Balthasar van der Ast at the Mauritshuis, such as his Fruit Still Life with Shells and Tulip from 1620. One analytical method that we perform on each of the paintings is infrared reflectography (IRR), which is a noninvasive imaging technique that can be useful for revealing underdrawings or compositional changes otherwise covered by paint layers. The IRR of the Fruit Still Life, for example, revealed that Van der Ast made several changes to his composition during the painting process; the plum on the left side of the table was originally intended as a cone-shaped seashell, and a larger round fruit was once positioned in the center of the plate seemingly nestled into the green grapes. 

I recently led a weeklong takeover of the Fulbright Netherlands Instagram account @fulbrightnl, in which I shared a series of photos and videos that captured my experiences so far in the Netherlands. I used this as an opportunity for conservation outreach to offer a peek behind the scenes of the day-to-day life of a paintings conservator and introduce the work we do in the museum, centered around my research and treatment of the flower still life by Van der Ast. I highlighted several analytical techniques, discussed pigments identified in the painting, taught about varnish removal, and also showed some of my favorite aspects of Dutch life, including national parks, bike rides, and new Dutch treats that I have enjoyed so far during my time abroad. My takeover is currently archived on the public @fulbrightnl Instagram account under the highlight thumbnail “Isaac The Hague". If you have an Instagram account, you can watch the takeover to learn more about my internship and life in The Hague.  

As museums begin to open in the Netherlands in June, I am excited to keep exploring this country in the coming months and taking advantage of all the opportunities that this internship has to offer! 

— Isaac Messina, WUDPAC Class of 2021