Great Galleries: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Quiz

Answer: Rembrandt

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in 1606 in Leiden, then within the Dutch Republic. Leiden is now a university city in central Netherlands and home to the country's oldest seat of higher education, pre-dating even Rembrandt (it was founded in 1575).

Rembrandt's "The Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburgh" is better-known simply as "The Night Watch" and is perhaps the most famous of all the Dutch Golden Age paintings. An enormous work (11.9 feet x 14.3 feet), it shows Captain Frans Banning Cocq (on the left) and his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburch, leading Militia Company of District II as they move out.

It originally hung in Amsterdam's 'Kloveniersdoelen' (Great Hall), was on display in the 'Palace on the Dam' during part of Napoleon's occupation, and in 1885 was moved to the Rijksmuseum when the building was completed. "The Night Watch" is one of a dozen Rembrandt paintings that can be seen at the Rijksmuseum.

Answer: Jan Asselijn

Jan Asselijn was born sometime around 1610 in coastal community of Dieppe in northeastern France. A small man with a withered hand, he was widely known as 'Krabbetje' (little claw). A friend of Rembrandt's, the Dutch master made an etching of Asselijn as his easel.

"The Threatened Swan" *57 inches x 67 inches) depicts a life size swan defending her nest from a dog. Later owners of the painting added inscriptions to the work: "Holland" on the egg on the right of the picture, 'de viand van de staat"' (enemy of the state) on the dog to the left, and 'de raad-pensionaris' (the Grand Pensionary - the highest official in the Dutch Republic) between the legs of the swan.

This was the first painting acquired by the Nationale Konst-Gallery in The Hague (which would later become the Rijksmuseum) when it was founded in 1800. The Rijksmuseum is also home to another of Asselijn's best-known works, "Cavalry Charge at Sunset".

Answer: Anton Mauve

Anthonij (Anton) Rudolf Mauve was born in 1838 in the city of Zaandam in the Dutch province of North Holland, although he grew up in Haarlem. An important member of the Hague School, in 1876 he helped to found the Hollandsche Teekenmaatschappij, an international society established to promote painting with watercolours. Married to van Gogh's cousin, Ariëtte (Jet) Carbentus, Mauve was a significant influence on the Dutch master -- Mauve in mentioned in more than 150 of van Gogh's surviving letters.

Painted in the Impressionist style, "Morning Ride on the Beach" shows a bourgeois trio of riders descending towards the beach. The bathing cabins in the distance and the horse droppings in the foreground both contribute to the realism of the scene.

Answer: Frans Hals

Frans Hals the Elder was born in 1582 in the city of Antwerp, then part of Spanish Netherlands and now in Belgium. When he was still an infant his parents fled to Haarlem, where he lived for the remainder of his life. Previously seen as a technical flaw, Hals' introduced the style of the 'visible brushstroke' into his portrait painting. Although this can give the impression that the paint has just been 'thrown onto the canvas', most of Hals' portraits are meticulously built up layer upon layer (as was the conventional method at the time). Hals' brother, Dirck, and five of his sons also became notable painters.

Perhaps the best-known of all portraits by Frans Hals is "The Laughing Cavalier", which is part of the Wallace Collection housed in London. "The Merry Drinker" is one of a handful of portraits by Hals that is displayed at the Rijksmuseum.

Although it has been claimed that this is a likeness of Prince Maurice of Orange, "The Merry Drinker" is less of an actual portrait than a genre piece, depicting a common scene in Dutch portraiture of the era.

Answer: Hendrick Avercamp

Hendrick Avercamp was born in Amsterdam in 1585. The end of the 16th century was one of the coldest in European history and was known as the 'Little Ice Age', so winter scenery and skaters would have been something with which Avercamp grew up. Like the great 16th-century Dutch landscape artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Avercamp's landscapes usually include a high horizon (and thus a large, active sky) and many figures who are involved in various activities.

An oil on oak panel from 1608, when Avercamp was just 23, "Winter Landscape with Ice Skaters" is peopled by engaged in all sorts of activities. All dressed for the wintry conditions, many are simply going about their daily chores: a group of fishermen try to free a frozen sailboat in the foreground, whilst in the background another boat sails away on a sled. In the lower left corner, a dog chews on a frozen carcass (an addition that Avercamp also used in other, later, paintings). The church on the horizon gives the impression of a nearby village or town.

Answer: Johannes Vermeer

Born in 1832 in the South Holland city of Delft, Johannes Vermeer lived most of his life in relative obscurity. Indeed, it was only in the 19th century that he was recognized as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. Most of the 34 paintings universally attributed to him depict interior scenes of domestic middle-class life.

Bequeathed to the city of Amsterdam by Adriaan van der Hoop in 1854, "Woman in Blue Reading a Letter" has been on perpetual loan from the city to the Rijksmuseum since 1885 (and it was the first of Vermeer's works acquired by the museum). Although the style of the painting makes it instantly identifiable as the work of Vermeer, it is unique amongst all of his interior paintings in that no part of a corner, ceiling or second wall is visible.

Three other Vermeer paintings, "The Little Street", "The Milkmaid" and "The Love Letter" have since been added to the collection displayed at the Rijksmuseum.

Answer: Pieter de Hooch

Pieter de Hooch was born in Rotterdam in 1629. He was a contemporary of Vermeer, both of whom lived in Delft simultaneously for a period. Both also produced works in a similar style, although each with a distinctive appearance due to the use of light. De Hooch began his paintings career with numerous works depicting soldiers or peasants, but around the time he started his own family in the mid-1650s he switched to interior domestic scenes showing acute observance of everyday details.

"Company in a Courtyard Behind a House" is another work that belongs to the city of Amsterdam that is on permanent loan to the Rijksmuseum. Although this is a rare outdoor scene by de Hooch, it still contains the essential elements of a family carrying out mundane tasks. The seated lady squeezes lemon into a glass of wine while the gentleman with the pipe watches. There are also two servants, one delivering a beer to the couple while the other scours a brass pot.

Another de Hooch painting, "A Woman with a Child in a Pantry", can also be seen at the Rijksmuseum.

Answer: Jan Steen

Jan Havickszoon Steen was born to a family of brewers in 1626 in the university city of Leiden in central Netherlands. Although he died at the age of just 52, Steen was a prolific artist, producing more than 800 paintings of which almost half survive today. A master of light and renowned for his attention to detail, more than half of his paintings depict scenes of daily life. Steen's own family frequently modeled for his genre scenes.

"The Feast of St. Nicholas" (or 'Sinterklass') is celebrated in The Netherlands on December 5. Steen's painting, in typical chaotic style, shows an ordinary Dutch family of the time at home during the festivities. Note the contrast between the children: the girl in the centre has been well-behaved and St. Nicholas has rewarded her with a doll and other treats in her shoe, whilst her elder brother has apparently been naughty as his shoe is empty.

Other Steen works in the Rijksmuseum collection include two other scenes of family life, "Prince's Day" and "The Sick Woman" and one of his religious paintings, "The Adoration of the Shepherds".

Answer: Jacob van Ruisdael

Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael was born in 1629 in the city of Haarlem in the Dutch Republic. Three other members of his family were also noted landscape artists, leading to problems correctly attributing all of Jacob's works. Much in demand during his own lifetime, his work can be seen today in numerous galleries around the world, with the largest collections in the Rijksmuseum, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and the National Gallery in London.

"Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede" shows a riverside scene dominated by a cylindrical windmill. Located some 15 miles along the Rhine from Utrecht, the windmill no longer stands although its foundations are still there. The painting's popularity can perhaps be judged by Rijksmuseum gift shop postcard sales -- only Rembrandt's "Night Watch" and Vermeer's "View of Delft" sell more.

Answer: Fra Angelico

Born Guido di Pietro in 1395 in the commune north of Florence which was then called Rupecanina but is now known as Vicchio. A humble priest, he was known during his lifetime as Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (Brother John of Fiesole), but he is remembered today as Fra Angelico (meaning "Angelic Friar"). As an artistn he is particularly known for his altarpieces and frescoes, painted in both Gothic and Renaissance styles. His "Lives of the Saints" series at the Vatican remain one of the greatest works of art from the era.

"Madonna of Humility" is a general name used to describe artistic portrayals of the Virgin Mary sitting on the ground or a low cushion, often the Child Jesus in her lap. Famous depictions of this scene include those by Domenico di Bartolo, Filippo Lippi and Bernardo Daddi, whilst Fra Angelico produced numerous paintings using this theme. His two most famous versions are those in the Rijksmuseum and in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.