Page 154 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Budapest

152  BUD APEST AREA B Y AREA

Exploring the Museum of Fine Arts Dutch and Flemish Art
The museum’s collection encompasses international art The museum’s Dutch and
dating from antiquity to the 20th century. As well as Flemish collection features
Egyptian, Greek and Roman artifacts, the museum houses works by the finest masters,
galleries dedicated to a variety of modern art. Alongside its including influential landscape
artist, Jacob van Ruisdael, with
interesting collection of sculptures, there are priceless View of Amsterdam (see p151).
drawings and works of graphic art. The museum has been The subtle Nativity by Gerard
undergoing redevelopment over the past few years. It is now David and Pieter Bruegel’s
closed to visitors until the restoration is complete in 2018. In detailed masterpiece St John
the interim, some of the museum’s works are on display in the Baptist’s Sermon (see p151),
the Hungarian National Gallery (see pp78–81). depicting Flemish peasants
listening to the saint’s words,
are exemplary exhibits.
The museum also boasts
canvases attributed to
Egyptian Artifacts
Rembrandt, including St Joseph’s
Egyptian artifacts have been Dream, portraits by Frans Hals
exhibited in the museum and Jan Vermeer’s Portrait of a
since 1939. Principally, they Lady. Not to be missed are the
are the result of 19th-century magnificent 17th-century Dutch
excavations that involved paintings by artists including
Hungarian archaeologists. Adrian van Ostade, Jacob
The rich collection includes Ruisdael, Jan Steen and others.
stone sculptures from each The highlight of the Flemish
historic period, from the Old collection is the 17th-century
Kingdom to the Ptolemy Mucius Scaevola before Porsenna
dynasty. A nobleman’s head by Peter Rubens and his then
of a votive statue dates from assistant, Anthony van Dyck.
the New Kingdom and is a Albrecht Dürer’s simple yet beautiful The latter was respon sible for
particularly beautiful example. Portrait of a Young Man the picture of St John the
Also worthy of note is the Evangelist, also on display.
collection of small bronze figures, The collection of Greek vases Also important is the paint ing
which also date mainly from the ranks as one of the best of its of Adam and Eve in The Fall
New Kingdom, together with kind in Europe. A black-figure of Man by Jacob Jordaens
domestic objects that illustrate amphora by Exekias and a kylix (see p150), who also worked
everyday life. from the studio of the painter as an assistant to Rubens.
Andokides are very fine
examples of this work.
Classical Artifacts Bronze work, which dates Italian Art
The collection of Classical from various epochs, including This valuable collection of
artifacts is rather varied. It the famous Grimani jug from Italian art, which was the
encompasses works of Greek, the 5th century BC, gold jewel- core of the Esterházy family’s
Etruscan, and Roman works. lery, and marble and terracotta collection, is often considered
sculptures are all exquisite the museum’s biggest attrac-
artifacts from this era. tion. All the schools of Italian
painting, from the 13th to the
18th centuries, are on display
German Art
here. The Renaissance period
Among the most valuable is perhaps the best represented.
works in the collection Of particular note is the cap-
are the Portrait of a Young tivating Esterházy Madonna (see
Man, by Albrecht Dürer, and p150), an unfinished painting
the carefully composed by Raphael. Another great work
painting of The Dormition by this outstanding artist is
of Mary, by Hans Holbein. the Portrait of Pietro Bembo.
The work of such masters as There is no shortage of
Hans Baldung Grien and Lucas work by famous 16th-century
Cranach are worth seeing, as Venetian artists among the
is the collection of German paintings collected here.
and Austrian Baroque painting, Important works by Titian,
Detail of a hunting scene on a 3rd-century which includes work by Franz Bonifazio Veronese, Antonio
AD Greek sarcophagus Anton Maulbertsch. Correggio, Jacopo Tintoretto,

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