Last Wednesday, 19 September the Rembrandt Database, a Unique research website for Rembrandt’s paintings has been launched. It can be consulted at: www.rembrandtdatabase.org
From the press release, 19 September 2012
The Rembrandt Database is the result of close collaboration between the RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History) and the Mauritshuis in The Hague. Twenty large museums and research institutions in Europe and the United States will present material on this platform in the coming period. The wealth of existing information and documentation on Rembrandt’s paintings – the result of years of research – will thus be made available digitally for the first time. Much of this material has never been published before. This project is made possible by generous donations from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in New York.
The first public version of the website presents a dozen richly documented paintings from the collections of the Mauritshuis, the National Gallery in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. These include such works as the Aristotle from New York, the Saskia van Uylenburgh in Arcadian Costume (‘Flora’) from London and the Self-Portrait from The Hague. The number of paintings and the amount of documentation will be greatly expanded in the coming months and years.
Dr. Mariët Westermann, Vice President of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and former director of the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University:
“The Rembrandt Database offers a valuable model for making conservation and art-historical material more accessible and interpretable across institutions and by the scholarly public. The range and depth of the partnering collections makes the database not only a rich research resource but also an example of successful inter-institutional collaboration. Given the ambitious goals for the next phase, the scholarly community can look forward to accessing the prodigious Rembrandt research materials that have been collected over the years.”
Prof. Dr. Stephanie Dickey, Rembrandt expert:
“The Rembrandt Database is an important and useful resource and an exemplary use of contemporary digital technology for the promotion of scholarly discovery and communication. This database will become not only useful but also essential for the future pursuit of informed research on Rembrandt and topics related to his art. Its broader importance lies both in its value as a model for other databases of this kind and in the enduring significance of the art of Rembrandt, the best-known master of the Dutch Golden Age.”
