Dutch Masters from the Deep

In 1771, the Dutch sailing ship Vrouw Maria encountered trouble off the coast of Finland. Caught in a heavy storm, the ship sank and remains on the seabed to this day. On board were several masterpieces by Dutch painters, including Paulus Potter and Gerard Dou. While no one knows exactly what these paintings looked like, descriptions from the ship’s inventory list allow us to imagine them.

In the Omroep MAX program Dutch Masters from the Deep, contemporary artists created their own versions of one of the lost masterpieces. These included paintings by Gerard Dou, Paulus Potter, Gabriël Metsu, Gerard ter Borch, Adriaen van Ostade, and Philips Wouwerman.

Each episode focused on one artwork. Two master painters competed to recreate the lost painting as accurately as possible, while artists in the open category were free to create their own interpretation. A professional jury, consisting of Pieter Roelofs (Head of Fine Arts, Rijksmuseum) and Abbie Vandivere (Restorer, Mauritshuis), selected two winners at the end of each episode: one master painter and one artist from the open category.

The exhibition showcases works by master painters Bram Stoof, Siobhan Kaufman, Renske Schilt, Philine van der Vegte, Sylvie Overheul, and Jantien de Boer. Additionally, the open category features works by Mike de Vos, Elise Visser, Anette van Bovene, Kees Putman, Eline Verweij, and Marian Torenbeek.

The six episodes of Dutch Masters from the Deep aired weekly on NPO 1 from January 19, broadcast by Omroep MAX.