Intimacies and intrigues: history painting in the mauritshuis

Intimacies & intrigues: History painting in the Mauritshuis Intimacies and intrigues' form a perennial theme in mankind's stories about himself. Carel van Mander, writing at the beginning of the Golden Age, believed that these emotions ('affecten') were the very soul of art. Every human emotion ranging from joy to sorrow plays its role on the stage of life. One can read about this in the Bible, Ovid's Metamorphoses, and the Greek tragedies. Gods and heroes all have their human side. They cheat or are cheated; they experience great joy or undergo deep sorrow. Artists followed in the footsteps of the storytellers and depicted the most striking instances of 'intimacies and intrigues' in their so-called history pieces. In the past, history painters were held in high regard by the theoreticians of art. The Mauritshuis has catalogued the best history paintings of its own collection, from the Flemish Primitives, such as Rogier van der Weyden, to the painters of the Golden Age, such as Rembrandt and his pupils. This selection of forty- five top works is described and elucidated in detail. The remaining history paintings have been incorporated into a comprehensive survey, which includes illustrations.