Museum calls on Dutch government for a $270 million helping hand
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Dutch government is backing an expensive venture by Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum to purchase a $270 million Rembrandt self-portrait. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The painting, known as </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Standard Bearer (1636)</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, is one of the last masterpieces by the Dutch artist still in the hands of a private collector. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The artwork is going up for sale by the Rothschild family, who have had the painting in their possession since 1844, after it belonged to the King of England. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Financial pledges have come from </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Rembrandt Association, the Rijksmuseum Fund, the Dutch state and the museum’s acquisition fund in order to afford the artwork’s hefty price tag. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits, the organisation has been trying to procure the painting for almost five years. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a statement, the museum said that the 22 works by Rembrandt in the Hague’s collection provide an “overview of the artist’s life,” and that the present work, being “one of the first paintings that Rembrandt made after he established himself as an independent artist in Amsterdam … has so far been the missing link in this overview.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the sale has yet to be closed, Dutch officials are already celebrating the new addition to the world-famous collection.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ingrid van Engelshoven, the Dutch minister of education, culture, and science, said in a statement, “After a journey of centuries, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Standard Bearer</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is now returning home for good.” </span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p>
