Mauritshuis not required to return Bredius artworks after court ruling on will wording

The Mauritshuis does not have to return 25 artworks to the descendants of art historian and former museum director Abraham Bredius, the court in The Hague ruled on Wednesday. Bredius, who led the museum between 1889 and 1909, left behind a collection of valuable works, including Rembrandt paintings such as Two African Men and Saul and David.

The descendants argue that the donation was made under the condition that all 25 works would remain permanently on public display. However, the museum currently keeps most of the paintings in storage. On that basis, the heirs are seeking the return of the artworks.

The District Court of The Hague concluded that the wording should be interpreted to mean that when the paintings are displayed, they must be shown exclusively in the Mauritshuis, and therefore cannot be loaned to other museums.

The court ruled that the wording of Abraham Bredius’ will contains “some room for uncertainty,” but concluded that his bequest to the museum did not impose a strict or “absolute duty” to keep the artworks on display.

Currently, only 10 of the 25 paintings are permanently exhibited in the museum galleries, including key works by Rembrandt such as Saul and David. The remaining 15 pieces are held in storage in the depot. The museum argues that it is physically impossible to exhibit all 25 works simultaneously because of limited space and because not all of the pieces are considered suitable for inclusion in the permanent display.

The plaintiffs are family members of Joseph Kronig, a protégé of the unmarried Abraham Bredius and his sole heir. Their lawyer has confirmed that the family intends to appeal the court’s decision.