Information

Flemish and Dutch works occupy an important place in the collection of old master paintings in the Musée Thomas Henry. By far the biggest part of the collection was formed by a donation made by the collector, dealer, and painter Bon-Thomas Henry between 1831 and 1835. 30% of Thomas Henry’s donation is made up by these fifty or so works of the northern schools.

The collection has a strong educational dimension very much in the spirit of the donor, as attested by the correspondence between the dealer and the city. This explains the presence in this group of works of almost every genre of painting practiced by Flemish and Dutch painters: history painting, portraiture, views of churches and interiors, still lifes and landscapes. Views of Italy by Flemish artists are particularly well represented, no doubt a reflection of Thomas Henry’s numerous art trips to that country.

Among the noteworthy paintings that made up this donation are a Virgin Enthroned and Surrounded by Angels by the Master of the Legend of Saint Ursula, an earthy Merry Company by Jan Massijs, a fine Portrait of a Woman by Adriaen Hanneman, who settled in The Hague following a stay in London as a follower of Van Dyck, an important Adoration of the Magi by Jacob Jordaens, and one of the rare paintings by the flower painter Rachel Ruysch held by a public collection in France. This initial collection has since been supplemented by a number of later acquisitions, in particular of seventeenth-century works such as Daniel Killing the Dragon of Baal by the Haarlem artist Jacob de Wet, and a Cimon and Iphigenia by Jan van Noordt.

Paul Guermond, Head of Collections and Exhibitions (March 2025)

Collection catalogues

Musée Thomas Henry, Cherbourg
Godefroy, Jean-Pierre
Cherbourg 1993

Musée Thomas Henry: les Écoles du Nord
Guéroult, Françoise
Cherbourg, 1973