Mauritshuis

and that brings us to the next castle and this time a real one in the hague uh in particular uh a specific tower of the former castle uh gordon you went there this week or uh i didn't

go there no um a little miniature turret uh this is uh the taunter the pro the uh which is the the little tower next to the Mauritshuis at the back of the Binnenhof which has most recently been occupied by the Prime Minister since the early 1980s and Rob Jetton got to go into Torontia for the first time of course because since he became Prime Minister he hasn't been able to work there It's because of the large-scale renovation of the Binnenhof complex and that means everything is closed off and the Binnenhof had to be evacuated.

Dix-Kolf had to be practically dragged, kicking and screaming out of it because he didn't want to move out.

On the orders of the mayor of the Hague, right? The mayor of the Hague ordered the prime minister to leave his office, yes.

There are a variety of shades of Naples yellow on the market running from a pale straw color to rather a deep ochre.

But the true Naples yellow, such as Rembrandt used on the cloak in the painting of Homer now hanging in the Mauritshuis, has all the freshness today that it evidently had when it was painted.

The dark outlines of this cloak are painted with ochre which, of course, is a permanent color.

I could cite many examples of prominent painters who felt that Naples yellow was essential to their palette.

Titled Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Masterpieces of the 17th Century, the exhibition is organized by the Asahi Shimbun and other organizations.

It marks the painting's first visit to Japan in 14 years from the collection of the Mauritshuis Museum in the Netherlands.

Also on display is Diana and Her Nymphs from Vermeer's early period, and Rembrandt van Rijn's The Laughing Man, which Rembrandt painted on copper.

In all, 12 masterpieces are on display.

Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, was guided around the exhibition by Martine Gosselink, director of the Mauritshuis.

Gosselink referred to the prosperity of 17th century Dutch society and the long history of exchange between the Netherlands and Japan.

"Art flourishes only under the conditions of peace and democracy, values that are needed now more than ever," she said.

Titled Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring Dutch Masterpieces of the 17th Century, the exhibition is organized by the Asahi Shimbun and other organizations.

It marks the painting's first visit to Japan in 14 years from the collection of the Mauritshuis Museum in the Netherlands.

Also on display is Diana and Her Nymphs from Vermeer's early period, and Rembrandt van Rijn's The Laughing Man, which Rembrandt painted on copper.

In all, 12 masterpieces are on display.