DUTCH TREAT--Art and Life in Rembrandt’s Time: Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection

BY BRUCE HELANDER January 14, 2026

The current exhibition at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach titled “Art and Life in Rembrandt’s Time: Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection” consists of more than seventy exceptional classic works by twenty-seven renowned artists from the illustrious Leiden Collection, which is named for Rembrandt’s native city and arguably the world’s most important private assemblage of 17^th century Dutch art. This amazing exhibition of memorable paintings offers a treat for the eyes, including seventeen original Rembrandt canvases along with appearances by other notable Dutch Golden Age masters such as Johannes Vermeer, Jacob Ochtervelt, Gerrit Dou and Frans Hals, among others. This glorious and fascinating show celebrates a thematic journey through 17^th-century Dutch life with genre scenes, religious subjects, and often mesmerizing portraits making this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view all these masterworks in one place with perfect lighting and a quiet, meditative atmosphere. This rare presentation is nothing less than an inspiration and salute to the creative genius of humankind as well as a distinguished “feather in the cap” of the Norton Museum.

Art and Life in Rembrandt's Time: Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection, Installation. Photograph by IndieHouse. Courtesy Norton Museum of Art. Installation photo: One of the many plum-painted, subtly lit exhibition rooms at the Norton Museum that gracefully illuminates a selection of the magnificent paintings on view from The Leiden Collection, including the noteworthy centerpiece, Minerva in Her Study (1635) by Rembrandt.

It is important to note that the colorful history of early portraiture spanned from stylized depictions of the afterlife by ancient Egyptians to the Renaissance artists’ focus on realistic likenesses and status and evolved from symbolic religious art to a commemoration of individual identity, culminating with the invention of photography in 1826. It is also worthwhile to mention here in the context of this show that originally, stick figures, primitive human portraits and mythical illustrated storytelling were the earliest discovered “sketches” uncovered in 50,000-year-old Indonesian caves that recorded the progression of depicting human activity. The oldest portrait is thought to be abstract markings by Homo sapiens, suggesting complex pictorial communication long before realistic portraits as we now know them—a remarkable evolution of human ingenuity and creativity.

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, Leiden 1606 -1669 Amsterdam), Self-Portrait with Shaded Eyes, 1634, Oil on panel, 28 x 22 1/16 in. (71.1 x 56 cm) The Leiden Collection, New York. Installation. Photograph by IndieHouse. Courtesy Norton Museum of Art.

In essence, the concept of a portrait evolved over time, with early humans creating sophisticated visual representations long before the concentration on capturing the likeness of a specific person. The considerable advancement of these early pioneers of figurative art and portraiture led to masterful invention and accuracy as evidenced in this historic show currently at the Norton Museum of Art. With the invention of oil paints and canvas (hundreds of years before the invention of photography), the race was on to interpret and document the human body and explore facial features. As history shows us, an artist’s ultimate challenge was to create a recognizable image, an objective that continued to evolve over hundreds of years and eventually lead to the historic term “Golden Years in Art.” Putting this into perspective, the Dutch Masters were a final turning point in accurately representing the human figure and face with great personal style in art with a superior historic mastery laid down meticulously on canvas.

This momentous display of Dutch masterpieces showcases the spirited enduring power of Rembrandt: his influence, and his students, colleagues and contemporaries, whose aesthetic impact continues to resonate today. This milestone exhibition of seventy-six works from The Leiden Collection is the largest and most memorable exhibition of privately held Dutch master paintings ever organized in America.

The show was envisioned to coincide with the 400^th anniversary of the Dutch founding of New Amsterdam on the island of present-day Manhattan, which also became the world’s most important geographical center for art. Word has it that at the time, the resident Manhattan native tribe traded the skinny island for the equivalent of four Starbucks Frappuccinos. The whipped foam on the latte was that the island became the most important brewing ground for eminent artists who eventually formed the historic New York School.

The current show at the mighty Norton Museum draws from The Leiden Collection’s tremendous strength and scope, outlining the depiction of humanity in all its facets, from portraits and character studies to genre scenes and historical subjects.

“Dutch Masters” Perfecto cigar box, circa 1970s.

Dutch Masters, a leading American “perfecto” cigar brand, whose vintage packaging features Rembrandt’s legendary group portrait pictured here, are an amusing connection to a perfect exhibition with the six famous, talented artists depicted on their label representative of the Dutch artists in the Norton show.

With over seventy works on display, it is not possible to list them all, but here are some significant examples:

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, Leiden 1606 -1669 Amsterdam), Portrait of a Man in a Red Coat, 1633, Oil on oval panel, 25 1/16 x 20 in. (63.7 x 50.8 cm) The Leiden Collection, New York.

Portrait of a Man in Red Coat (1633) is a classic example of Rembrandt’s genius where he captures the likeness of this fashionable and self-assured man just as the artist was establishing his reputation as a successful portraitist among Amsterdam’s burgeoning elite. Although the identity of this individual has been lost, Rembrandt conveys their unique personality through carefully blended brushstrokes depicting the subject’s curled moustache, buoyant collar and bright red coat.

Hendrick ter Brugghen (Dutch, The Hague 1588 -1629 Utrecht), Allegory of Faith, circa 1626, Oil on canvas, 28 7/16 x 22 3/16 in. (72.3 x 56.3 cm) The Leiden Collection, New York.

After the Utrecht artist Hendrick ter Brugghen traveled to Italy and saw the work of the Italian artist Caravaggio and his followers, he returned to the Netherlands in 1614 with a new approach to light, color and composition as illustrated here in a canvas titled Allegory of Faith, which he painted in 1626. Faith and devotion played a central role in life and art in the Dutch Republic, but religious images could not be shown in the Dutch Reformed Church and, therefore artists were not commissioned for related paintings. However, artists continued to paint imagery from the Bible, and other denominations and subjects, such as this work by ter Brugghen.

Frans Hals (Dutch, Antwerp 1582/83 -1666 Haarlem), Portrait of Samuel Ampzing, 1630, Oil on copper, 6 7/16 x 4 7/8 in. (16.4 x 12.4 cm) The Leiden Collection, New York.

This exquisite portrait by Frans Hals, titled Portrait of Samuel Ampzing (1630), painted on a small copper panel, whose surface adds to the warm realistic portrayal of Haarlem the clergyman, poet, and historian. Ampzing is holding the book for which he is best known, “Description and Praise of the City of Haarlem in Holland.”

Isaac de Jouderville (Dutch, Leiden circa 1612 -1645/48 Amsterdam), Portrait of Rembrandt in Oriental Dress, circa 1631, Oil on panel, 22 7/8 x 19 7/8 in. (70.8 x 50.5 cm) The Leiden Collection, New York.

Portrait of Rembrandt in Oriental Dress (circa 1631), another outstanding depiction of Rembrandt, is by Isaac de Jouderville, who was one of the master’s first pupils in Leiden. Standing tall with a long feather in his cap and accompanied by a black walking stick that supports a contrapposto gesture, the pose conveys a dynamic balance and elegance even in relaxation. In this relatively small-scale yet conspicuous likeness, de Jouderville portrayed his former teacher in fanciful garments such as his feather-adorned turban and velvet cloak over a gold brocade silk tunic.

These paintings are just a small sampling from the incredible group of original compositions by prominent artists who changed the direction of art history with their invention, skillful articulation of the human form and an absolute mastery of the medium.

The exhibition continues through March 29, 2026. Located at 1450 South Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401. For more information: https://www.norton.org/exhibitions/art-and-life-in-rembrandts-time-masterpieces-from-the-leiden-collection