Another milestone: The final day open to the public is 28 March 2024, 10 am–9 pm.

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Lastman, Pieter
The Angel with Manoah and His Wife
1617

Pieter Lastman, the second and more prominent master of Rembrandt van Rijn, here represents a scene from the Book of Judges (13:11). Manoah and his wife, parents of the legendary figure Samson, listen attentively to the divine guidance on the raising of their special son. In the clarity of gesture, Lastman models a manner of painting that Rembrandt would assimilate in his yearly years. This gestural lucidity is complemented by a notable monumentality of form. Even the angel, whose divinity is revealed only in later verses, sits solidly on a rock, with feet extended and elbow bent, a decidedly terrestrial pose. Rembrandt would imbue his figures with an attractive and immediate earthiness in both his Leiden years and beyond.

 
Lastman, Pieter
Amsterdam, Netherlands 1583–Amsterdam, Netherlands 1633
The Angel with Manoah and His Wife
1617
Oil on panel
35.1 x 30.3 cm
Gift of Isabel Bader, 2019
62-004.03

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