Long before the pearl, Vermeer painted big biblical & mythological scenes. Here’s Diana, goddess of the hunt & the night, hanging out with her nymphs. Hound at her feet, moon on her forehead... yes, that dreamy Vermeer vibe is already there.  Johannes Vermeer, Diana and her Nymphs, c. 1653-1654

Meet... the Frans Hals siblings! Did you know we have become co-parents? 😄  Girl Singing and Boy Playing the Violin (c. 1628) by Frans Hals or now on view at the Mauritshuis.

🧳🇮🇹 What do you do when a volcano erupts?  A. You get the hell out of there. B. You come closer to watch 😅 Discover this moment up close in 'The Grand Tour – Destination Italy', on view until January 4.

🖼️ Talk about flexing your art collection! Not a real gallery, but a kunstkamer = basically a 17th-century art mood board. Left: Apelles paints Alexander the Great’s lover. Alexander loved it and said: “You keep Campaspe, I’ll keep the painting.” Willem van Haecht, Apelles Painting Campaspe

What the ***...?! 😲🌿 What would you do with this branch? On the one hand, it's part of the historical story of The Bull. On the other hand, it's not how Paulus Potter intended the painting to look. So... keep or toss? 🤔 Follow along for more about the live restoration of the Bull by Paulus Potter.

Up close with The Bull by Paulus Potter 🐂👀 Isn't it fascinating to see the hand of the master at work? We are still restoring this amazing piece of work. You can witness the entire process live at the Mauritshuis until the end of 2025.

🐌 Slow Sundays are the best days! This snail escaped from 'Vase of Flowers' (c. 1670) by Jan Davidsz de Heem!

2/2 What’s going on in this strange little doctor’s visit? Lieve reveals the hidden story behind this painting. 👀 Godefridus Schalcken, The Doctor's Examination, c. 1690

Love is in the air! Or not?  A young woman writes a song, a man peeks over her shoulder. The lute symbolizes harmony in love.  But above the fireplace you see a stormy sea. A reminder that love isn’t always smooth sailing? Gabriel Metsu, A Young Woman Composing a Piece of Music, c. 1664

Once you start looking at Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, you simply can't take your eyes off her. 🎶👧 We investigated this with the help of brain scientists. Curious about how we conducted this research and what the results are? Go to https://bit.ly/ResearchGirl

🇬🇧 There → Here 🇳🇱 Normally hanging at Burghley House, this portrait shows Brownlow Cecil, 9th Earl of Exeter. It was painted by Angelica Kauffman when she was just 22, but already really famous. Check it out at our exhibition ‘The Grand Tour - Destination Italy’.

👀The Mauritshuis is watching you! Do you recognise these paintings? Okay, we'll tell you 😇 Here are the answers: - Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, c. 1665 - Carel Fabritius, The Goldfinch, 1654  - Rembrandt, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp, 1632 - Paulus Potter, The Bull, 1647

🧳🇮🇹 What insaaaane patience looks like... 🤯 This small panel by Cesare Aguatti captures the Temple of Vesta in Rome. If you look close, you’ll see it’s made of microscopic mosaic tiles, carefully arranged to form a Roman ruin. Check it out at our exhibition ‘The Grand Tour - Destination Italy’.

✨ The Mauritshuis doesn’t just show art, it has been shining on paintings for ages too. Gerrit Adriaensz Berckheyde, A Hunting Party near the Hofvijver in The Hague, Seen from the Buitenhof c. 1685-1690

🤎🧡 Who doesn’t love the beautiful colours of autumn! This work is part of a series on the seasons. Originally made to hang above the doors of a grand house in Amsterdam. The paintings were separated, but are now reunited at the Mauritshuis.  Nicolaes Pietersz Berchem, Allegory of Autumn

1/2 What’s with the bird and that warning finger? Lieve spills the tea. ☕️ Godefridus Schalcken, A Useless Moral Lesson, c. 1690

🦪 Fancy an oyster?  Jan Steen knew exactly what he was doing. In the 17th century oysters were seen as the ultimate aphrodisiac… and just look at her, she’s clearly offering more than just a snack! Jan Steen, Girl Eating Oysters, c. 1658-1660

🇬🇧 There → Here 🇳🇱  Pompeo Batoni’s elegant portrait of Thomas William Coke has travelled all the way from @holkhamestate to the Mauritshuis. An impressive souvenir of his Grand Tour! Now on view at the exhibition 'The Grand Tour – Destination Italy'. 👀 Tickets via link in bio.

Those big, shiny eyes 👀 … but what do they mean? Is she carefree? Curious? A little sad? Or totally in love? ❤️ Vermeer left the corners of her eyes blurry, so we have to fill in the blanks. That’s why everyone sees her differently. Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, c. 1665

What’s going on in this strange little doctor’s visit? Lieve reveals the hidden story behind this painting. 👀 Godefridus Schalcken, The Doctor's Examination, c. 1690

It’s that time again... 🕰️ Tonight, the clocks go back one hour as winter time begins in the Netherlands (and many other countries). That means: one extra hour of sleep… or one more hour to admire these 'timeless' watches by Pieter Claesz, Willem van Aelst, Willem Claesz Heda and Abraham van Beyeren!

Ehm... this doesn't seem quite appropiate? 🤔 What’s really happening in 'As the Old Sing, So Pipe the Young' by Jan Steen? Lieve is here to spill its secrets...

Flower power in the 17th centrury! Balthasar van der Ast shook things up in the world of flower still lifes. Instead of cramming in every bloom possible, he kept it simple: just a few flowers, painted with a looser, fresher touch. Balthasar v.d Ast, Flowers in a Wan-Li Vase with Shells, c.1640-1650

🇬🇧 There → Here 🇳🇱 This bust usually watches over elegant dinners at the British country house Holkham Hall in Norfolk. 🍷 Now, it’s a guest at the Mauritshuis, as part of our exhibition 'The Grand Tour – Destination Italy'. Come check it out! Tickets via link in bio.

‘As the old sing, so pipe the young’. Adults set the vibe, and the kids follow! Look at dad (yep, Jan Steen himself!) laughing while teaching his kid to smoke a pipe. Steen was the king of chaotic storytelling and a brilliant painter. Jan Steen, 'As the Old Sing, So Pipe the Young', c. 1668-1670

CHEERS! 🍸🍋‍🟩 Look at those details! Who is joining you for a drink? 🥂 Pieter Claesz, Still Life with Tazza, 1636 🥂 Willem Claesz Heda, Still Life with a Roemer and Watch, 1629 🥂 Pieter Claesz, Still Life with Lighted Candle, 1627

Museumnight The Hague: let's go... our doors are wide open tonight! 🩷 Decorate your own cannoli, learn how to pack your bag like a pro or do a flash workshop painting mini portraits... Have fun!  🏫Visit more than 35 institutions 🎫https://museumnachtdenhaag.nl/ticket/ 🗓️October 11, starting at 7PM

Francis van Broekhuizen 🤝 our newest exhibition 'The Grand Tour – Destination Italy!' 🇮🇹✨ Come see why!  🎫 Book your tickets via tickets.mauritshuis.nl/nl/tickets!

Dark nights, cozy vibes. When the days get shorter, we bring out the candles! 🕯Peter Paul Rubens, Old Woman and Boy with Candles, c. 1616-1617

⚪ Sure, you know Girl with a Pearl Earring… but she’s not the only one rocking pearls!  Which painting is your fave? Paintings by: - Johannes Vermeer - Jan Anthonisz van Ravesteyn - Peter Paul Rubens (and studio) - Hans Holbein the Younger (studio of)

Dit weekend is het Weekend van de Wetenschap! 🧪🔭 Dat vieren we met een tof programma rondom de live restauratie van De stier van Paulus Potter, het grootste schilderij in onze collectie! Er zijn activiteiten voor de hele familie. https://bit.ly/WeekendvandeWetenschapXMauritshuis

'The Goldfinch' by Fabritius - 3 fun facts! 🪶 Fabritius was a student of Rembrandt. 🪶 Goldfinches are called 'Puttertjes' because they could be taught to draw water from a small bucket (which is called 'putten' in Dutch).  🪶 The painting was the inspiration for Donna Tartt's novel 'The Goldfinch'.

Pretty rare to spot a flower still life like this one...🌹 Any idea why? Most 17th-century bouquets depict all kinds of flowers. But Van Hulsdonck kept it simple: just roses, with a sweet briar tucked in at the top left.  Jacob van Hulsdonck, Roses in a Glass Vase, c. 1640-1645

This huge painting (339 x 235.5 cm!) is one of the most famous paintings of the Mauritshuis. It was painted by Paulus Potter in 1647 when he was only 22 years old!

3 must-know details about The Anatomy Lesson by Rembrandt: 🧒 Rembrandt was only 25 when he painted this masterpiece! 💀 The body? Criminal Aris Kindt, executed just hours before. 👀 Everyone is looking in a different direction – making you feel almost part of the scene. Did you know this?

🌷 Who doesn’t love tulips?  These painted tulips are just as gorgeous as the real ones.  🌷Balthasar van der Ast - A Single Tulip in a Vase  🌷Dirck de Bray - Still Life with a Bouquet in the Making 🌷Abraham Mignon - Flowers in a Metal Vase 🌷Jan Brueghel the Elder - Flowers in a Wan-Li Vase

A beautiful sky to brighten up your day 🌞☁️ This is 'View of Delft', painted by Johannes Vermeer around 1660. There is hardly a breath of wind, and the city has an air of tranquility. Vermeer reflected this tranquility in his composition, by making three horizontal strips: water, city and sky.

🧳🇮🇹 18 September 2025 – 4 January 2026  The Grand Tour – Destination Italy  Imagine traveling in the 17th and 18th centuries as a young British aristocrat. Along the way learning about art, architecture and culture ánd bringing home amazing souvenirs. Buy your tickets now!

What vibe are you today? Drop your mood in the comments 👇 We're showing you details of: 😃 Frans Hals, Laughing Boy, 1625 🙁 Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Robert Cheseman, 1533 😨 Jan Steen, The Tooth-Puller, 1651 😢 Godefridus Schalcken, The Doctor's Examination, 1690

😋 Don’t you just want to bite into these beautiful⁣ paintings?⁣⁣ ⁣ Look at the beautiful details of: 🧀 Clara Peeters - Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and⁣ Pretzels 🍓 Adriaen Coorte - Still Life with Wild Strawberries 🍋 Pieter Claesz - Still Life with Tazza 🦪 Jan Steen - Girl Eating Oysters

🦋 Although this painting is considered a flower still-life, a lot more than just flowers can be seen... look at all these beautiful creatures! 🐌 Jan Davidsz de Heem, Vase of Flowers, 1670

Zien we jou ook op 20 september bij de eerste editie van Kunstsnacks in Museumkwartier Den Haag? 🤩 Lekker picknicken op het Lange Voorhout en op een culturele ontdekkingstocht met kunst, workshops, theater, muziek en meer! Bekijk het programma & scoor tickets op https://denhaag.com/nl/museumkwartier

✨🪮 Hunting for lice: one of the fun things to look forward to when going back to school! 😅  Gerard ter Borch, Mother Combing Her Child's Hair, known as 'Hunting for Lice', c. 1652-1653

#couplegoals ❤️ Anthony van Dyck, Portrait of Peeter Stevens (c.1590-1668),1627 Anthony van Dyck, Portrait of Anna Wake (1605-before 1669), 1628

We always love seeing the Mauritshuis in old paintings. Quite a surreal idea that it has been there for such a long time. Can you see it in the distance? Gerrit Adriaensz Berckheyde, A Hunting Party near the Hofvijver in The Hague, seen from the Plaats, 1690

☁️✨ Ah.... The interplay of light and shade. The impressive cloudy sky. The subtle reflections in the water. We could just look at this painting forever. Johannes Vermeer, View of Delft, c. 1660-1661

🌷Some of the bouquets featured in our collection are a bombastic explosion of colours. Though more minimal, this single tulip can surely rival their impact. Balthasar van der Ast, A Single Tulip in a Vase, 1625

🫣Peek-a-boo! We see you! This painting focuses on the tender care of a mother for her child. They are playing peek-a-boo with her veil. For the Virgin’s blue cloak and dress, Gossaert used ultramarine, a costly pigment made of ground semi-precious stones. Jan Gossaert, Madonna and Child, 1520

💐🐚Van der Ast introduced a number of important innovations into flower still-lifes. This bouquet is painted much more freely than those of his predecessors, and is restricted to just a few types of flower.  Balthasar van der Ast, Flowers in a Wan-Li Vase, with Shells, c. 1640-1650

This is a trompe-l’oeil, or trick of the eye. It is supposed to look as if a marble bust of Venus has been placed above the door. In order to mislead the viewer, some ‘real’ details have been added: a pink shawl and periwinkle. Caesar van Everdingen, Trompe l'Oeil with a Bust of Venus, 1665