If works of art could talk, I would like to have a chat with the sculpture on the mantelpiece of the royal study. High time for a closer acquaintance!
It is no secret that Willem-Alexander and Máxima have a soft spot for Dutch art. Thanks to Beatrix, the corridors of Noordeinde Palace were already filled with beautiful pieces from our own country and the empty spaces are being filled in the same way by the current royal couple. Earlier on this website you read about the ‘Square with sector’ by Ad Dekkers, which Willem-Alexander received as a wedding gift from Máxima. The circles by Thomas Trum were also discussed. And now it is time for a sculpture, because a reader’s question came in about it. Where did the work come from? Who is the maker? Before I answer, let’s first take a look at the artwork.
The sculpture stands on the mantelpiece of the office at Noordeinde Palace. If stone could talk, we would hear stories about the new prime minister, the old cabinet and undoubtedly also about the queen.
It concerns a work of art by Rob Zweerman. On his website he writes the following about his work: “I mainly work in stone, a fascinating material. Stone is solidified time, the eternity in which it was formed you feel in your hands… It has resistance, is time-consuming to work, heavy, hard, rough, strong but also fragile and sometimes cuddly. The possibilities and impossibilities of the material and shape that I release in it challenge me. When they are in balance they form a beautiful interplay, that you can keep for an eternity. I like to work ‘on the edge’ of what is possible. Complex shapes, going to the extreme in material, production and finishing.
Lucid, as the artwork is called, is 50 centimeters high and made of limestone. The website states that the sculpture was sold in September 2017. Before that time, there was indeed another (or even no) artwork on the mantelpiece.
PS. Because the subject of art comes up so often on this website, I have created a special page for it. Here you will find all the blogs about paintings, sculptures, clocks, furniture, and so on.
