Saturday, May 1, 2010

A Queen, an Audience, and a Solemn Farewell

A Queen.......

To the dear readers who get that warm and fuzzy feeling of inclusion we all know and love not just from taking in the glowing, happy faces of our dear Family, but from simply viewing those oh-so-classic works of art not-necessarily-made-for-yet-nonetheless-destined-for-the-ogling-of-royal-eyes-which-is-fitting-considering-they-are-in-fact-works-of-art-within-a-genre-sterotypically-favored-by-the-elite--slash-aristocratic-masses, well then gosh darn it, you're in luck, my friends!

Later today, May 1st, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
will join her geographical neighbors and incandescent counterparts, TRH The Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, at the newly revamped Villa Vauban Musée d'Art de la Ville de Luxembourg to open an exhibit entitled "The Golden Age Reloaded," featuring the art of Dutch masters.

The
Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam has provided works by the artists Frans Hals, Paulus Poiter, Govaert Flinck, Jan van Goyen, and Jacob van Ruisdael. A collection of engravings from the German Von der Heydt-Museum Wuppertal will also be on display. Historical documents belonging to the Dutch Royal Archives will be displayed to illustrate the close relationship between the Netherlands and Luxembourg during the period.

Works of art by Jan Steen, Gérard Dau, and David Teniers the Younger were bequeathed to Luxembourg City by the noted philanthropist Jean-Pierre Pescatore in 1855. These magnificent creations are part of the exhibit. Jean-Pierre Pescatore was an interesting character who led a remarkable life. I highly recommend giving him a good Google.


An Audience..........
On 28 May
The Grand Duke received Dani Neumann and Jean Petit. Ms. Neumann is the recipient of the 2009 Prix Grand-Duc Adolphe. The bi-annual prize is awarded by the Cercle artistique de Luxembourg of which Mr. Petit is president.

A Solemn Farewell.......

Sadly, for every fun-filled phantasmagoria of dapper Dutch artwork, every once in a while comes a humble, jarring reminder of the importance of stepping out of the whirlwind and taking stock of the fragile beauty of the world around us. Such a lesson was brought to the forefront for our dear Family this week - on Friday, April 30th, The Grand Duke and his eldest son, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume were reportedly on hand
to pay their respects at the memorial service for Hereditary Prince Carl Friedrich of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, who died from smoke inhalation after crashing his automobile during the German Endurance Championship.

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