€160 mil. Rembrandt couple back in the Rijksmuseum
After 60 years' absence, Rembrandt's wedding portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit are back in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The two full length portraits arrived in the museum last night and are now hanging in a place of honor - next to the Night Watch in the museum's main hall, NOS reports.
The Rijksmuseum calls the two the "Kanye West and Kim Kardashian of the 17th century." They were in the possession of the wealthy French Rothschild family until the Netherlands and France jointly purchased them for 160 million euros in September last year. The paintings will be displayed alternately in the Rijksmuseum and the Louvre Museum. The last time they were exhibited in the Rijksmuseum was during a major Rembrandt exhibition in 1956.
Taco Dibbits, the new director of the Rijksmuseum, was ecstatic last night. "Every time you see something new on this kind of top paintings", he said to the broadcaster. "I saw a white spot on the head of Oopjen. I thought the paint was damaged, but when I looked closely, it turned out to be a pearl. Probably a hairpin."
The two paintings will be on display in the Rijksmuseum until October 2nd. After that they will go to the museum's workshop for a thorough restoration.
