Visitors to the National Gallery in London from 13 December 2017 may enjoy four exceptional Dutch and Flemish paintings, which are generous bequests to the collection from Willem Baron van Dedem. The paintings include: Christ crowned with Thorns by David Teniers the Younger (1641); Butterflies, Moths and Insects with Sprays of Common Hawthorn and Forget-Me-Not and Butterflies and Moths and Insects with Sprays of Creeping Thistle and Borage both by Jan van Kessel the Elder (both 1654); Still Life with a Bowl of Strawberries, a Spray of Gooseberries, Asparagus and a Plum by Adriaen Coorte (1703). They are on display in Room 26.
The renowned Dutch-born collector, Willem Baron van Dedem, who was based in London, died in November 2015 at the age of 86. For many years he had promised to give the National Gallery four paintings upon his death, and particularly desired that the works selected from his collection address gaps in the Gallery’s holdings and be on display to the public.
For more information: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/about-us/press-and-media/press-releases/a-christmas-present-for-the-nation-2017
