Information
The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rennes, founded in 1799 in the wake of the Revolutionary confiscations of 1793–1794, possesses a remarkable collection of Flemish and Dutch paintings and drawings, mainly of the seventeenth century.
These works derive from two principal sources: the rich collection formed in the eighteenth century by the erudite Christophe Paul de Robien, and French State consignments from the Musée du Louvre between 1803 and 1811.
It comprises mainly small-format works—originals, copies, and studio productions—by Flemish artists such as Frans Francken (II), David Teniers (II), Adriaen Brouwer, and Jan van Kessel (I), as well as Dutch artists including Moyses van Wtenbrouck, Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Pieter Wouwerman, and Willem van Mieris.
The collection of drawings, numbering some 300 sheets, is particularly rich and includes works by Rembrandt, Karel van Mander (I), Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacob Jordaens. These are complemented by an important group of prints, attesting to the taste of French art lovers of the eighteenth century for the northern schools.
The consignments from the Louvre have also enabled the integration into the collection of prestigious large-format works such as Maarten van Heemskerck’s Saint Luke Painting the Virgin, The Tiger Hunt by Rubens, The Crucifixion by Jordaens, and two altarpieces by Gaspard de Crayer. There are also examples of Utrecht Caravaggism (by Gerard van Honthorst and Matthias Stom) and rare pieces such as The Wedding of the Elector of Brandenburg by Johannes Mijtens and The Holy Family by Joachim von Sandrart.
Guillaume Kazerouni, Head of the Old Master Collections, Paintings and Drawings (May 2025)
Collection catalogues
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes: guide des collections
Coulon, François
Paris 1996