Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642), after 1634, oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington

AMSTERDAM.- The Amsterdam Museum presents a Rembrandt portrait from Washington’s National Gallery of Art: Saskia van Uylenburgh will appear on loan at the Amsterdam Museum for two years, from 2 August 2013 (Saskia’s birthday). The portrait has never been shown at a Dutch museum before and will feature in Amsterdam DNA, the museum’s permanent presentation. 

Striking portrait

In addition to being a superb example of the artist’s genius, this portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh also tells part of Rembrandt’s own personal story. He probably began painting the portrait in 1634/1635, shortly after he and Saskia were married, and only completed it some years later, around 1640. Following its recent restoration, it is now possible to enjoy the amazing quality of this intimate portrait. The work was last shown in Europe in 1894, in Paris, and now makes its first appearance in a European museum in the Netherlands. 

Saskia van Uylenburgh

Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642) was the first wife of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669). Born to an affluent Frisian family, she married the artist in 1634. They had four children, only one of whom survived: Titus. Saskia died in 1642, aged 29. She was buried in Amsterdam’s Oude Kerk.

National Gallery of Art and Amsterdam Museum

This loan is part of a long-term arrangement between the two museums. In 2012, a major group portrait by Bartholomeus van der Helst went from the Amsterdam Museum collection to the US for a five-year stay at the National Gallery of Art.

Amsterdam Museum

Amsterdam Museum tells the city’s story, past, present and future. Four core values - enterprise, free ideas, creativity and civic responsibility - are at the heart of the city’s DNA. Focusing on these values, the museum brings the city’s history to life, connecting to today, and the future. Amsterdam DNA shows the city as a bastion of civic virtue and creativity: qualities that are reflected in Rembrandt’s world and that of his patrons. The museum’s role in today’s society is to make Amsterdam’s story accessible and to present it to a broad audience.

Detail. Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642), after 1634, oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington

A portrait by Rembrandt of Saskia van Uylenburgh is put on show at the Amsterdam Museum in Amsterdam on July 31, 2013. The work will be on loan from Washington’s National Gallery of Art for two years. The portrait has never been shown at a Dutch museum before. AFP PHOTO/ANP/ MARTIJN BEEKMAN.