I dropped Susan off at her doctor on Huntington Avenue, and then drove back to the MFA to see if I could reset my membership card on my phone. After that, I strolled up to just about my favorite area of art, and hung out for about an hour, photographing fruit, ships, etc. What a fantastic collection. The Rembrandts are worth the visit alone.
Here are some photos, and a few details to show what phenomenal techniques these great artists developed. Think of the size of some of those brushes!
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| First things first, a lovely lunch with a glass of Albarino. And those fantastic hand-made chips! |
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| Balthasar van der Ast Still Life with Flowers about 1630 |
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| Adriaen Coorte Still Life with Seashells 1698 |
A very small painting, about 8 inches wide, and ravishing
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| Frans Snyders Still Life with Fruit, Wanli Porcelain, and Squirrel 1616 |
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| Willem van de Velde the Younger A wijdschip in a Fresh Breeze about 1665-70 |
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| Ludolf Bakhuizen Ships in a Gale on the IJ before the City of Amsterdam 1666 |
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| Bonaventura Peeters Dutch Ships in Antwerp Harbor 1637 |
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| detail the birds are about an 8th of an inch long |
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| Lost the title to this one, sorry |
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| Osias Beert Still Life with Oysters, Sweetmeats, and Dried Fruit in a Stone Niche 1609 |
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| Another lost title, again sorry |
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| Jan van der Heyden View of the Westerkerk, Amsterdam about 1667-70 the Canaletto of Dutch artists; look at that light |
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| Rembrandt van Rijn Portrait of Aeltje Uylenburgh 1632 On of the most revered of paintings at the MFA |
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| Model of the Dutch East India Company Ship Valkenisse About 1717 What a magnificent addition to the gallery; about six feet long |
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| Eglon van der Neer Portrait of a Man and Woman in an Interior 1665-70 |
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| Rembrandt van Rijn Portrait of a Woman Wearing a Gold Chain 1634 Quite simply one of the most wonderful and fascinating faces ever put on canvas Can a face that's not real still be so inviting? |
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| Jan Steen A Card Game in a Tavern 1660 It's as if you are in on the con. |
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| Jan van Huysum Flowers in at Terracotta Vase 1730 Perhaps the most virtuoso of all still life painters of the Netherlands |
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| The massive scholar's rock at the MFA entrance. |
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| Sunset at the Tavern at Granite Links,, to end our day. I feel so privileged to live near a city where a person can stand mere feet before a Rembrandt. |
