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.
Avercamp (1585–1634), who worked in Kampen, is known for his lively and colorful winter landscapes. Winter Landscape with Skaters features a festive outing for villagers, many of whom are smartly dressed and engaged in a variety of outdoor pursuits. His monogram, "HA," can be seen on a barrel resting on a sled. The painting is located in the MFA's 17th Century Dutch and Flemish Gallery.
Hals (1581/1585–1666), one of the most original and penetrating portraitists of the 17th century, was also the foremost painter in the Dutch city of Haarlem. Portrait of a Preacher, made when the artist was in his late 70s, is characterized, as much of his best work is, by its expressive brushwork. Another painting by Hals, Portrait of a Man (about 1660–65), is part of the MFA's permanent collection; it provides an interesting comparison to the sober preacher in its more fashionably attired long-haired sitter. It is located in the Dutch and Flemish Gallery; the Hals on loan is in the MFA's 17th and 18th Century European corridor.
Van Ostade (1610–1684), a leader among the many Dutch painters who used scenes of daily life as motifs, often drew upon peasant themes (the tavern, domesticity, and work). Peasants in an Interior shows a happy domestic scene of children playing and adults sitting around a table in a setting that reflects their modest means. The painting is located in the MFA's 17th and 18th Century European corridor.
Dou (1613–1675), first pupil of Rembrandt and founder of the Leiden school of "fine painters," specialized in small-format paintings, the details and surfaces of which are carefully observed and meticulously rendered. In the 19th century, an astute chronicler of Dutch painting said of this depiction of a dog that "it is impossible for painting to be carried to higher perfection than that displayed in this exquisite little picture." The painting is located in the MFA's 17th Century Dutch and Flemish Gallery.
"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."
Among the other works on loan from the Van Otterloos, on view in the 17th Century Dutch and Flemish Gallery or adjoining corridor, are: Horseman in a river (1660) by Karel du Jardin, Trompe l'oeil with a partridge hanging from a red ribbon and a snail on the wall behind (1666) by Hendrik de Fromantiou, Crossing the Ford (mid 1640s) by Isaack van Ostade, and Riverscape with ferry and a boat carrying cattle by Salomon van Ruysdael.
The Van Otterloos gave to the Museum in 2003 five works by Rembrandt, all in honor of Clifford S. Ackley, the MFA's Ruth and Carl Shapiro Curator of Prints and Drawings and Chair of the Department. They are: Jacob Caressing Benjamin (about 1645), etching; Abraham and Isaac (1645), etching and drypoint; The Descent from the Cross by Torchlight (1654), etching and drypoint; Six's Bridge (1645), etching and drypoint; and Thomas Jacobsz Haringh (1586/7–1660) (about 1655), drypoint and engraving. Along with these gifts of art, the Van Otterloos also have created an endowment for the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Conservator of Paintings.
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. -- www.mfa.org
